Oral misoprostol for premature rupture of membranes at term.

Objective: The study was undertaken to compare the efficacy, safety, and maternal satisfaction of oral misoprostol and intravenous oxytocin for labor induction in women with premature rupture of membranes at term.

Study Design: One hundred five women were stratified by parity and randomly assigned to oral misoprostol 75 microg every 4 hours as needed to establish labor or to intravenous oxytocin.

Results: The induction to vaginal delivery time with oral misoprostol was 737 (+/-426) minutes compared with 573 (+/-318) minutes with oxytocin (P=.04). The incidence of hyperstimulation was lower in the misoprostol group (6.0% vs 27.1%, P=.005). Women were more likely to be very satisfied with their care in the misoprostol group (86.0% vs 63.4%, P=.02).

Conclusion: In women at term with premature rupture of membranes, oral misoprostol resulted in a longer induction to vaginal delivery interval but increased maternal satisfaction and less hyperstimulation compared with intravenous oxytocin. Further research is needed to assess uncommon neonatal and maternal outcomes.