Foley Balloon for Cervical Preparation Before Dilation and Evacuation
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: Foley Balloon Catheter, Misoprostol, Laminaria.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Abortion, Second Trimester, Abortion, Medical. Basic parameters: from 18 years · Female.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- Mozambique
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
Unsure about the terms? Read our patient guide →
Overview
To evaluate the Foley Balloon technique for cervical preparation before second trimester surgical abortion between 16 and 21 weeks estimated gestational age in combination with misoprostol to prepare the cervix before dilation and evacuation (D\&E) instead of osmotic dilators (Laminaria). Specific Aim One: Assess definitively whether using a Foley Balloon and Misoprostol is non-inferior to osmotic dilators for cervical preparation before D\&E. Specific Aim Two: Evaluate patient satisfaction with the two methods of second trimester abortion. Specific Aim Three: Evaluate provider satisfaction with the two methods of second trimester abortion.
Detailed description
Termination of pregnancy was legalized in Mozambique in 2016 for any reason until 12 weeks, and up 16 weeks in cases of rape, and at any time for cases of fetal demise, severe fetal anomaly, or to protect a woman's physical or mental health. It is also legal up until 24 weeks in the case of a chronic infectious or degenerative disease. Termination of pregnancy can be accomplished either by induction of labor or by Dilation and Evacuation (D\&E). Typically, D\&E after 16 weeks is a two-day procedure. The first day is devoted to cervical preparation, where osmotic dilators are placed into the cervix and allowed to slowly soften and dilate the cervix. On the second day of the procedure the uterus is evacuated. Osmotic dilators are expensive and unavailable in most of Sub-Saharan Africa. An alternative strategy to cervical preparation has recently been developed by Dr. Yashica Robinson and has been described in a retrospective cohort study. This new technique involves using a Foley Catheter balloon (FB) inserted into the cervix to dilate the cervix over several hours with buccal misoprostol as an adjunct medication. After which, the procedure is completed using the dilation and evacuation procedure. However, Foley Balloon for cervical preparation before dilation and evacuation is still considered investigational. Both Foley Balloon and misoprostol are low cost and widely available in Africa and thus may be a safe and efficacious alternative to osmotic dilators. These two strategies of cervical preparation have never been directly compared in a prospective randomized clinical trial. This study aims to conduct a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the Foley Balloon for cervical preparation before D\&E. Specifically, our objective is to evaluate the Foley Balloon technique for cervical preparation before second trimester surgical abortion between 16 and 21 weeks estimated gestational age. The investigators propose to conduct a randomized controlled non-inferiority trial to compare procedure difficulty, complication rates, provider satisfaction, and patient satisfaction with a novel technique to prove that the Foley Balloon and misoprostol method is safe, effective, and acceptable to providers and patients.
Interventions
- Device Foley Balloon Catheter
18 French Foley Balloon placed trans-cervically and inflated with 30-60ml of Normal Saline. - Drug Misoprostol
400 mcg of buccal misoprostol sublingual - Device Laminaria
Laminaria will be placed in the cervix according to the following standard formula: Estimated gestational age -10 = number of 5mm laminaria.
Primary outcome measures
- Total Procedure Time (TPT) [Time frame: through completion of D&E, approximately 15-20 minutes]
Secondary outcome measures (6)
- D&E operative time (OT) [Time frame: through completion of D&E, approximately 15-20 minutes]
- Initial pre-operative cervical dilation [Time frame: through completion of D&E, approximately 15-20 minutes]
- Potential Complications [Time frame: through completion of the D&E, an average of 1-2 days]
- Visual Analogue Pain Scale [Time frame: through completion of the D&E, an average of 1-2 days.]
- Provider Satisfaction Questionnaire [Time frame: through study completion, an average of 1-2 days]
- Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire [Time frame: through completion of the D&E, an average of 1-2 days]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- Women 18 years and older presenting to Hospital Central de Maputo requiring abortion for any legal indication between 16-21 weeks gestation.
- Portuguese speaking
Exclusion criteria
- Less than age 18
- Incarcerated
- Chorioamnionitis
- Active heavy bleeding
- A known bleeding diathesis
- Hemodynamic instability
- > 2 cm dilation
- History of cervical cerclage
- Allergy to any study medications
- Eclampsia
- Glasgow Coma Score Less than 15
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: No
Study design
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Model
- Parallel assignment
- Masking
- Double blind
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
Study locations
Mozambique · 1 center
- Hospital Central De Maputo — Maputo
Identifiers
NCT: NCT06850974 · IRB2023-00297 · stony brook university