Comparison between vacuum aspiration and forceps plus blunt curettage for the evacuation of complete hydatidiform moles

Abstract

ObjectiveSuction curettage is recommended for molar evacuation rather than sharp curettage because of its safety. However, the superiority of suction curettage with respect to the incidence of gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN) has not been reported. This study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of two evacuation procedures, vacuum aspiration and forceps/blunt curettage, for complete hydatidiform moles (CHMs) to determine the differences between them. Materials and methodsPatients with androgenetic CHM determined by multiplex short tandem repeat polymorphism analysis were included in this observational cohort study. Patients underwent evacuation with forceps and blunt curettage (forceps group) before March 2013 and with vacuum aspiration (vacuum group) thereafter. GTN was diagnosed based on the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics 2000 criteria. The incidence of GTN and other clinical parameters were compared. ResultsNinety-two patients were diagnosed with androgenetic CHM. The number of patients in the forceps and vacuum groups was 41 and 51, respectively. The incidence of GTN was 12.2% (5/41) and 13.7% (7/51) in the forceps and vacuum groups, respectively, which was not significantly different (P = 1, Fisher's exact test). No major adverse events, such as uterine perforation and blood transfusion, were noted in either group. The median surgery time was shorter in the vacuum group (16 min) than in the forceps group (25 min) (P = 0.05, Mann–Whitney U test). ConclusionThere were no differences in the incidence of GTN between the forceps and vacuum groups for androgenetic CHM. However, vacuum aspiration could have the advantage of a shorter surgery period. The use of vacuum aspiration for molar pregnancy seems to be safer. Therefore, we recommend suction curettage for the first evacuation of hydatidiform moles.