Oral misoprostol vs. placebo in the management of prelabor rupture of membranes at term

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of oral misoprostol for the induction of labor (IOL) in women with prelabor rupture of membranes at term (PROM) and to monitor maternal or fetal complications. Method: This randomized, placebo controlled trial was performed in a secondary referral hospital. The data of 47 patients in the misoprostol and 49 patients in the placebo group was available for analysis. The former received 100 mug misoprostol orally, repeated once after 6 h if not in active labor, the latter received two doses of vitamin C also after a 6-h interval. The Mann-Whitney U-test was used for analysis. Results: The median treatment to delivery interval in the misoprostol group was 7.5 h and 25 h in the placebo group (P < 0.001). No significant differences were found in the incidence of abnormalities on the cardiotocograph, mode of delivery, neonatal outcome, use of antibiotics for the mothers and patient acceptability. Conclusion: Oral misoprostol in the suggested dose is an effective and cheap alternative for IOL in patients with FROM. No adverse effects could be demonstrated. (C) 2001 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. All rights reserved.