Researchers from the Mansoura University Hospital in Egypt recently investigated the impact of immediate curettage on recovery times in patients with eclampsia or preeclampsia. Based on study results, curettage speeds up recovery without any negative side effects.
Curettage consists of scraping the lining of the uterus with a medical tool called a curette. The procedure can be used in a variety of treatments, including the treatment of excessive vaginal bleeding. Curettage is the C in the medical procedure known as a D&C.
Four-hundred twenty pregnant women with either eclampsia or preeclampsia were involved with the study. All prenatal testing showed no significant medical differences in the women. The curettage group consisted of 220 patients. The remaining 200 patients were evaluated as controls.
Patient mean arterial pressure (MAP) was measured at 6 hours, 12 hours and 24 hours – post delivery. The curettage group recovered from eclampsia and preeclampsia more quickly than the control group. Recovery speed was measured as the time between birth and return to MAP below 105 mmHg.
Source: Ragab A, Goda H, Raghib M, Barakat R, El-Samanoudy A, Badawy A. Does immediate postpartum curettage of the endometrium accelerate recovery from preeclampsia-eclampsia? A randomized controlled trial. Arch Gynecol Obstet. 2013 May 5.