[The coagulation system in Rivanol-induced abortion (author's transl)]

Second-trimester abortion was induced in 20 women by extra-amniotic instillation of rivanol. Studies were conducted into partial thromboplastin time (APIT), prothrombin, platelet count as well as into fibrinogen and fibrin split products. Twenty women with spontaneous abortion in the second trimester were used for control. APTT was elevated at the time of abortion, and both prothrombin as well as fibrin were elevated 24 hours after expulsion in response to rivanol-induced abortion. At the time of abortion, the fibrin split products in all cases or rivanol-induced abortion were higher than those of the control group. Yet, they were back to normal after another 24 hours. The platelet count did not change in the two groups during treatment. - The above results are likely to suggest that in both spontaneous abortion and rivanol-induced abortion the coagulation system is activated at similarly low levels, which seems to underline an unambiguous superiority over the use of hypertonic solutions for induced abortion.