Clinical Efficacy and Safety of Misoprostol During Abdominal Myomectomy: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of 16 Randomized Controlled Trials

Abstract

Objective: This study offered an updated meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that assessed preoperative misoprostol compared to control (matched placebos or no treatment) during abdominal myomectomies. Methods: Six databases underwent screening until 7 April 2024. The risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration tool. The results were presented as mean differences (MDs) or risk ratios (RRs) along with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using the random-effects model. Results: Sixteen RCTs were analyzed, involving 975 women. The overall quality of the studies was rated as “low” or had “some concerns” of bias in seven and eight RCTs, respectively; one RCT had an overall “high” risk of bias. For primary endpoints, the misoprostol intervention had significantly lower mean intraoperative blood loss (n = 15, MD = −180.2 mL, 95% CI [−224.04, −136.35], p < 0.001), mean hemoglobin drop (n = 13, MD = −0.58 g/dl, 95% CI [−0.82, −0.35], p < 0.001), and rate of perioperative blood transfusion (n = 13, RR = 0.43, 95% CI [0.29, 0.63], p < 0.001) compared to the control intervention. For secondary endpoints, the misoprostol intervention had significantly lower mean hematocrit drop (MD = 2.15, 95% CI −3.34, −0.96], p < 0.001), mean operative time (MD = −12.95 min, 95% CI [−19.89, −6.01], p < 0.001), and mean hospital stay (MD = −0.14 days, 95% CI [−0.25, −0.02], p = 0.02) compared to the control intervention. Nonetheless, no significant change was indicated between both interventions regarding the rate of postoperative fever. Conclusions: During abdominal myomectomy, the administration of preoperative misoprostol was generally safe and yielded statistically significant reductions in intraoperative blood loss, hemoglobin drop, and perioperative blood transfusion.