Objectives: To compare the efficacy and safety of vaginal nitros oxide (NO) donors, isosorbide mononitrate (IMN), and intracervical Foley’s catheter for cervical ripening and labor induction in singleton pregnancies.
Type of study: Prospective comparative cohort study.
Setting: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Benha University and a private center.
Patients & Methods: One hundred twenty pregnant candidates for pre-induction cervical ripening were randomly divided into 2 equal groups, Group-I ;( n=60) induction of labor (IOL) was done with intracervical Foley’s catheter, and Group-II ;( n=60, but 2 women refused to complete the study and their results were excluded), IOL was done with vaginal isosorbide mononitrate (IMN).
Results: There was no significant difference between intracervical Foley’s catheter and intravaginal IMN as regard their success in producing cervical ripening and labor induction {50/60 (83.3%) vs.45/58(77.6%); p>0.05}. In catheter group, there were significantly shorter induction delivery interval (19.7±7.2 hours vs. 24.3±7.0 hours; P