Magnesium sulphate and cervical ripening (a biomechanical double-blind, randomized comparison between a synthetic...

Lamicel is a commercially available synthetic polyvinyl sponge impregnated with magnesium sulphate (MgSO4), used to soften and dilate the cervix. To investigate whether magnesium sulphate contributes to the effect of Lamicel, forty-one pregnant nulliparous patients who underwent a first trimester abortion were allocated to three to four hours preoperative treatment with either Lamicel or the same type of tent without magnesium sulphate. The ripening effect on the cervix was measured biomechanically. Lamicel produced a cervical dilatation and ripeness equal to the syntetic tent without MgSO4. The two pretreated groups together showed a significantly (p less than 0.05) more favourable cervix compared to a control group of 40 patient.