Expectant therapy versus curettage for retained products of conception after second trimester termination of pregnancy: analysis of outcomes and complications

ObjectiveTo evaluate the prognosis and complications of expectant therapy and curettage for retained product of conception (RPOC) after second trimester termination of pregnancy (TOP). MethodsA total of 270 patients with RPOC following second trimester TOP in Nanfang Hospital between January, 2014 and December, 2015 were included in this study. The duration of vaginal bleeding time and menstruation recovery interval were compared between patients receiving expectant therapy and curettage for RPOC, and binary logistic regression was used to assess the risk factors for complications in bivariate and multivariate analyses. ResultsThe duration of vaginal bleeding time was significantly longer in expectant therapy group than in curettage group ( P =0.005), while the menstruation recovery interval did not differ significantly between the two groups. The incidence of vaginal bleeding time for over 42 days was significantly higher in curettage group than in expectant therapy group ( P =0.040), and the incidence of a menstruation recovery interval beyond 60 days was comparable between them. The incidence of complications was significantly higher in curettage group than in expectant therapy group either with adjustment of age, gravidity, parity, history of uterine surgery status, gestational age, type of indications, regimens for TOP and induction-abortion interval ( OR =18.26[95% CI : 3.57-93.42], P OR =10.60, [95% CI : 2.36-47.66], P =0.002). ConclusionExpectant therapy and curettage for RPOC after second trimester TOP have comparable prognosis, but curettage is associated with a significantly higher rate of complications.