Surgical intervention after medical treatment for early pregnancy loss according to gestational size

Abstract

Objective: To study the rate of surgical intervention for unsuccessful medical treatment in early pregnancy loss (EPL), according to gestational size by ultrasound (GS-US).

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study. All women who were treated with misoprostol for EPL between July 2015 and December 2020 were included. The cohort was divided according to GS-US: group 1: gestational sac without an embryonic pole; group 2: an embryonic pole with crown-rump length (CRL) compatible with <7 weeks; group 3: CRL compatible with 7⁺⁰ -7⁺⁶ weeks; group 4: CRL compatible with 8⁺⁰ -8⁺⁶ weeks; group 5: CRL compatible with ≥9 weeks. We compared the rate of any surgical intervention due to treatment failure.

Results: Overall, 783 patients were included: group 1, 236 (30.1%); group 2, 319 (40.7%); group 3, 115 (14.7%); group 4, 78 (10.0%); and group 5, 35 (5.0%) patients. The rate of any surgical intervention was significantly lower in groups 1-4 (54, 22.9%; 85, 26.6%; 28, 24.3%; and 22, 28.2%, respectively) compared with group 5 (17, 48.6%; P = 0.030). On multivariant analysis, GS-US greater than 9 weeks was independently associated with the need for surgical intervention (adjusted odds ratio 1.23, 95% confidence interval 1.01-1.51; P = 0.040).

Conclusion: When treating EPL medically, GS-US greater than 9 weeks increases the risk of undergoing additional surgical intervention compared with younger weeks.

Keywords: early pregnancy loss; gestational size; misoprostol; ultrasound.