Intraamniotic injection of ethacridine for second-trimester induction of labor.

In the People's Republic of China one of the most widely used methods of second-trimester abortion is the intraamniotic injection of ethacridine (Rivanol). Intraamniotic ethacridine produces fetal death, a fall in maternal urinary estriol excretion, and a rise in prostaglandin levels. Although the induction time is longer than that usually seen with prostaglandins, the method is not ordinarily associated with vomiting, cervical injury, or the delivery of a live fetus. In a series of 10,302 cases, the success rate was 96.4% and the incidence of associated complications was low.