You will be provided with the titles and abstracts of a collection of medical RCT reports studying a clinical question -- for instance, the efficacy of an intervention on some medical outcome. Please write a few sentences synthesizing the findings of these reports, which could serve as a conclusion section for a systematic review article. Your response should not include any other text. The RCT reports are below.



Title 1:
Misoprostol compared with laminaria before early second-trimester surgical abortion: a randomized trial.
Abstract 1:
To compare the efficacy and acceptability of same-day misoprostol and overnight laminaria for cervical ripening before early second-trimester surgical abortion.
                We performed a randomized, double-blinded, controlled trial comparing 400 microg of vaginal misoprostol, given 3-4 hours preoperatively, with overnight laminaria before early second-trimester surgical abortion among women at 13.0-16.0 weeks of gestation (n = 84). The primary outcome was procedure time, and the sample size was based on 95% power to detect a difference of 4.5 minutes between groups. Secondary outcomes included completion of the procedure on the first attempt, procedural difficulty, and patients' pain scores and preferences.
                The average gestational duration was 14 weeks 6 days. Procedures performed after laminaria were significantly faster than those after misoprostol (median 3.4 versus 7.2 minutes, respectively, P = .01). Laminaria patients had significantly greater dilation than misoprostol patients at abortion (mean 43 versus 33 French, P < .001), and more misoprostol patients required additional dilation (85% versus 21%, P < .001). Physicians rated 27% of the misoprostol procedures as moderate-markedly difficult versus 5% of laminaria procedures (P = .01). Differences in efficacy were pronounced among nulliparous patients. There were no significant differences in ability to complete the procedure on the first attempt or patients' intraoperative pain scores. More women in the misoprostol group would choose their assigned method again (93% versus 62%, P < .01), and 82% of all subjects preferred a 1-day procedure.
                Early second-trimester abortions take longer and are technically more challenging after cervical ripening with same-day misoprostol than with overnight laminaria, but patients prefer same-day misoprostol.


Title 2:
Cervical preparation using laminaria with adjunctive buccal misoprostol before second-trimester dilation and evacuation procedures: a randomized clinical trial.
Abstract 2:
This study was undertaken to determine whether buccal misoprostol improves cervical preparation achieved with laminaria before second-trimester dilation and evacuation procedures.
                A randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled trial of preoperative cervical preparation with overnight laminaria and either buccal placebo or 400 microg buccal misoprostol approximately 90 minutes before second-trimester surgical abortion. Block randomization was used to provide balanced enrollment into 2 separate gestational age study groups: early (13-15(6/7)) and mid (16-20(6/7)) second trimester. Surgeons tested maximal cervical dilation by inserting the largest dilator that could be passed through the cervical os without force. Subject demographics and preprocedure symptoms were tracked.
                Groups were similar in regard to age, gravity, parity, delivery type, and gestational age. Data were analyzed from 125 women in the 13 to 15(6/7) (30 misoprostol, 32 placebo) and 16 to 20(6/7) (31 misoprostol, 32 placebo) gestational age groups. Overall, misoprostol treatment did not improve the initial mean dilation achieved with laminaria alone in either the 13 to 15(6/7) (46.0 fr +/- 5.0; placebo 45.0 fr +/- 6.2, P = .68) or 16 to 20(6/7) (50.9 fr +/- 5.6, placebo 48.9 fr +/- 5.2, P = .16) groups. However, a subanalysis of gestations 19 weeks or more demonstrated significantly greater dilation in the misoprostol group (53.6 fr fr +/- 5.3, placebo 48.5 fr +/- 5.0, P = .01). Subjects receiving misoprostol reported significantly more cramping than those receiving placebo (13-15(6/7) weeks misoprostol 25/30, 83%; placebo 17/32, 53%, P = .02; 16-20(6/7) week misoprostol 25/31, 81%, placebo 16/32, 50%, P = .02).
                Cervical dilation with laminaria is augmented by 400 microg buccal misoprostol in gestations 19 weeks or more, but not in earlier gestations. Misoprostol causes more abdominal cramping.


Title 3:
Randomised trial of hypan versus gemeprost in cervical preparation prior to second trimester termination of pregnancy.
Abstract 3:
nan


Title 4:
Lamicel versus laminaria for cervical dilation before early second-trimester abortion: a randomized clinical trial.
Abstract 4:
Lamicel is a synthetic osmotic cervical dilator reported to work within two hours. To evaluate its efficacy and side effects, we conducted a double-blind, randomized clinical trial comparing Lamicel with multiple laminaria for cervical dilation in 219 patients before second-trimester abortion. A single Lamicel produced significantly less initial dilation (two-tailed P value = .03) than did multiple laminaria, but the techniques had comparable degrees of difficulty in subsequent dilation to 43 French units (two-tailed P value greater than .05) and rates of achieving dilation of 43 French units with rigid dilators (relative risk 1.0; 95% confidence interval 0.9-1.1). Lamicel removal resulted in a significantly lower rate of bleeding from the os (relative risk 0.3; 95% confidence interval 0.2-0.5). Because of its greater convenience, lower cost per patient, and comparable efficacy, Lamicel appears to be an attractive alternative to multiple laminaria for cervical dilation before abortion at 14-16 menstrual weeks' gestation.


Title 5:
Vaginal vs. sublingual misoprostol with mifepristone for cervical priming in second-trimester abortion by dilation and evacuation: a randomized clinical trial.
Abstract 5:
The study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of mifepristone 200 mg 48 h before administering misoprostol 600 mug, sublingual vs. vaginal route, prior to dilation and evacuation (D&E) in 12- to 20-week pregnancies.
                Randomized clinical trial.
                Clínica Mediterrania Médica, Valencia, Spain.
                Women with 12- to 20-week pregnancies wanting a voluntary abortion between July 9, 2004, and February 9, 2006.
                Nine hundred women were randomized to be included in one of the following four groups: (I) mifepristone 200 mg plus sublingual misoprostol 600 microg before D&E, (II) mifepristone 200 mg plus vaginal misoprostol 600 microg before D&E, (III) sublingual misoprostol 600 microg before D&E and (IV) vaginal misoprostol 600 microg before D&E.
                The degree of cervical dilation achieved before D&E, surgical time necessary to terminate the pregnancy and side effects of misoprostol.
                The average cervical dilation in the mifepristone groups was 12.5+/-2.8 mm (SD) [95% confidence interval (CI), 12.3-12.8] vs. 8.5+/-3.2 mm (SD) (95% CI, 8.2-8.8) in those receiving only misoprostol. Surgical time in the mifepristone sublingual misoprostol group was 11.9+/-4.3 min (SD) vs. 13.0+/-5.3 min (SD) in the sublingual misoprostol group without mifepristone (p=.007); in the mifepristone vaginal misoprostol group, the average surgical time was 12.3+/-5.0 min (SD) vs. 13.0+/-6.2 (SD) in the vaginal misoprostol group without mifepristone (p=.031).
                Administering mifepristone before D&E with misoprostol in second-trimester abortions makes surgery easier and shorter and, to a certain extent, lessens the risk of cervical injuries, especially in D&E in advanced gestational periods.
Cervical preparation with osmotic dilators and/or misoprostol before second-trimester D&E is safe and effective. Osmotic dilators appear to provide superior cervical dilation when compared to prostaglandins alone or when combined with prostaglandins, however this difference in cervical dilation does not appear to result in differences in procedure time or complication rates. There does not appear to be clear clinical benefit from two days of cervical preparation compared to one-day prior to second-trimester D&E below 19 weeks gestational duration. Mifepristone plus misoprostol was associated with high rates of pre-procedural expulsions and does not appear to be a useful method of cervical preparation before second-trimester dilation and evacuation. Same-day procedures appear to be a safe and reasonable option in the early second trimester, however, more research is needed to assess the effectiveness and safety of same-day procedures in the later second trimester.