A clinical double-blind study on the effect of prophylactically administered single dose tinidazole on the occurrence of endometritis after first trimester legal abortion.

In a clinical double-blind study, 212 women were administered either a placebo or 2 g of tinidazole 8-15 h before being subjected to a first trimester legal abortion using vacuum aspiration. After the operation, the rectal temperature was recorded twice daily for 5 days. Screening for gonorrhoea was performed before the operation. A total of 27 women (12.7%) had febrile reactions with rectal temperatures greater than 38.0 degrees C after the operation. In 13 women with, and 2 women without a febrile reaction, endometrial specimens were obtained using a protected technique at the time of the febrile reaction. The specimens were cultured for aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, yeast, fungi, chlamydiae, mycoplasmas, and ureaplasmas. Specific culture methods for the detection of gonococci, group B streptococci, Listeria monocytogenes, and Campylobacter foetus were employed. In 8 of the 13 women with a febrile reaction and in one of the 2 women without such a reaction all cultures were sterile. M. hominis was recovered from the uterine contents of 2 women who had febrile reactions. In 4 of the women bacteria and fungi belonging to the endogenous vaginal flora were isolated from the endometrial specimen. In 5 women, who did not consult because of the elevated temperature, the febrile reactions were transient and self-limiting without treatment. No differences were observed between the women administered tinidazole and those given a placebo with respect to the rate of febrile postoperative reactions and isolation of micro-organisms from the intra-uterine specimens.