• D Abramovici, S Goldwasser, B C Mabie, B M Mercer, R Goldwasser, and B M Sibai.
• Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Tennessee, Memphis 38103, USA.
• Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. 1999 Nov 1; 181 (5 Pt 1): 1108-12.

ObjectiveWe sought to compare the efficacy and safety of oral misoprostol administered to patients with the efficacy and safety in a control group treated with a Foley catheter and oxytocin for induction of labor.Study DesignTwo hundred patients requiring induction of labor at term with a Bishop score of ResultsIn multiparous patients the percentage delivered of their neonates within 24 hours and the median induction-to-delivery times were similar in the 2 groups. In nulliparous patients, however, delivery within 24 hours was significantly less likely in the misoprostol group (53.4% vs 82. 5%; P <.001), and the median induction-to-delivery time was longer (23.3 hours vs 17.2 hours; P <.01). There were no differences in the incidence of meconium, chorioamnionitis, low Apgar scores, or cesarean delivery. The incidence of hyperstimulation was higher in the oxytocin-Foley group (4.1% vs 13.1%; P =.02).ConclusionOral misoprostol is as effective as oxytocin-Foley catheter for inducing labor in multiparous women. Misoprostol appears less efficacious in nulliparous patients.

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