Preoperative cervical dilatation: a trial of laminaria tents and prostaglandin F2 alpha gel.

Surgical damage to the cervix in patients undergoing termination of pregnancy may be responsible for serious complications in subsequent pregnancies. Sixty nulliparous women undergoing first trimester termination of pregnancy were randomly allocated to 3 treatment groups, one using laminaria tents preoperatively, one using intracervical PGF2 alpha gel preoperatively and one using no pretreatment. Results showed clear benefits in the laminaria group, in terms of achieving preoperative cervical dilatation and ease of further operative dilatation. Laminaria tents were superior to PGF2 alpha gel which was, in turn, superior to no pretreatment. There were no differences in blood loss or postoperative complications among the 3 groups. Laminaria tents provide a cheap, effective and safe method of reducing the risk of cervical damage in women undergoing surgical termination of pregnancy.