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RCT of Cervical Ripening Double Ballon Catheter Prior to Dilation and Evacuation.

Cervical Ripening Double Balloon Catheters Versus Osmotic Dilators For Cervical Preparation Before Dilation & Evacuation: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Status
Recruiting
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT07200115
Acronym
CRDB RCT
Enrollment
50
Registered
2025-09-30
Start date
2025-12-03
Completion date
2028-09-01
Last updated
2026-02-05

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Cervical Preparation Prior to Dilation and Evacuation

Keywords

cervical preparation, osmotic dilators, cervical ripening double balloon catheter, dilation and evacuation

Brief summary

The purpose of this study is to determine whether the overnight use of an FDA-cleared CRDB catheter is superior to the use of overnight osmotic dilators as is standard of care cervical preparation for patients presenting for dilation and evacuation (D&E). The CRDB catheter is an FDA cleared device for cervical dilation prior to labor induction at term. It has not been FDA cleared for cervical dilation in the second-trimester, however, will be used in a similar fashion to labor inductions at term. Our standard of care osmotic dilators (e.g., laminaria, Dilapan-S) are both FDA cleared for cervical dilation prior to labor induction at term or gynecologic procedures requiring cervical dilation.

Detailed description

This study is a two-arm, non-blinded, randomized controlled trial of a cervical ripening double balloon (CRDB) catheter compared to osmotic dilators (e.g., laminaria and/or Dilapan-S) for overnight cervical preparation prior to dilation and evacuation (D&E). The primary outcome will be mean cervical dilation as assessed by the physician immediately prior to D&E. Established patients will be approached by a member of the research team about study participation after they have provided informed consent for D&E. Allocation to the study group will be based on a 1:1 blocked randomization scheme. The participant will be informed of their assignment immediately prior to their cervical preparation procedure. Neither the physician nor the patient will be blinded to the assignment as this is not feasible given the differences in interventions. 1. Intervention Group: The physician will place a CRDB catheter as directed by the manufacturer's user guide. The uterine balloon of the CRDB catheter will be inflated with 20-40 mL of saline based upon the participant's tolerance. 2. Control Group: The physician will place osmotic dilators in the standard fashion. The number of dilators and use of laminaria, Dilapan-S, or a combination will be determined by physician preference. On the day of the D&E procedure, the physician will remove the cervical dilating device and measure the patient's cervical dilation. Additional data will be collected on the following items. * Need for and amount of mechanical dilation * Total procedure time will be calculated in minutes based on the procedure start and stop times recorded in the patient's electronic medical record.

Interventions

DEVICECervical Ripening Double Balloon (CRDB) Catheter

The physician will place a CRDB catheter for overnight cervical preparation. The CRDB catheter is comprised of two balloons that can be inflated with up to 80 mL of sterile water.

Osmotic dilators (e.g., laminaria and Dilapan-S) are mechanical dilators that are placed in the cervix prior to gynecologic procedures and facilitate dilation through the slow absorption of moisture. The physician will place osmotic dilators in the standard fashion.

Sponsors

Yale University
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
FEMALE
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Singleton pregnancy between 19 weeks 0 days to 23 weeks 6 days GD. * Planning to undergo D\&E with Yale Family Planning and has undergone standard informed clinical consent counseling for the procedure and signed the clinical procedure consent form. * Stated willingness to comply with all study procedures and availability for the duration of the active part of the study. * English- or Spanish-speaking individual. * Residents of the state of Connecticut.

Exclusion criteria

* Spontaneous or induced fetal demise. * Multiple pregnancy. * Preterm prelabor rupture of membranes (PPROM). * Intraamniotic infection. * Active genital tract infection. * Active vaginal bleeding. * Placenta previa or vasa previa. * Placenta accreta spectrum. * History of \>3 cesarean deliveries. * BMI \>45 kg/m2. * Contraindication to osmotic cervical dilator or CRDB catheter use as determined by the physician. * Contraindication to medication used during standard of care cervical preparation.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Mean Cervical DilationDay 1 (cervical preparation visit) to Day 2 (D&E)Cervical dilation will be measured in centimeters.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Need for Mechanical Dilation at the Time of Procedural AbortionDay 2 (D&E)This is a binary "yes/no" outcome reported as the percentage of patients needing mechanical dilation in our experimental arm compared to the active comparator arm.
Mean Total Procedure TimeDay 2 (D&E)Procedure time will be measured in minutes.

Countries

United States

Contacts

CONTACTYale Family Planning
fpresearch@yale.edu203-785-5074
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORTessa Madden, MD

Yale University

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 6, 2026