BACKGROUND The purpose was to study the capacity of vaginal misoprostol in combination with methylergometrine to achieve complete evacuation of the uterus without ensuing surgical evacuation of the uterine cavity. METHODS We performed this trial on 228 women seeking pregnancy interruption. Vaginal misoprostol was given in a dosage of 800 micrograms in early second trimester. All women received concomitant treatment with peroral methlyergometrine from the moment of misoprostol application every 8 hours until uterine evacuation. Follow-up was continued until the first menstruation after interruption. RESULTS Complete uterine evacuation was achieved in 173/228 cases (76%) [group 1]. The remaining 55 women [group 2] underwent manual evacuation of placental remnants trapped in the cervix. In seven of these women a conventional curettage was carried out due either to ultrasound evidence of placental remnants or due to uterine bleeding. The interval between misoprostol application and fetal expulsion averaged 14.9 hours (s.d. 9.6) in group 1 and 21.0 hours (s.d. 14.5) in group 2 (p=0.006). CONCLUSIONS Misoprostol, in combination with methylergometrine, is a remarkably efficient drug in achieving uterine evacuation also in the absence of surgical evacuation of the uterine cavity. The present study provides justification for a more expectant attitude after vaginal misoprostol treatment for pregnancy interruption. The avoidance of close to 80% of otherwise conventional curettages would seem to represent a major advantage, particularly in settings where manpower and material resources are scarce.