Ultrasound manifestations and clinical analysis of 50 cases of heterotopic pregnancy

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the value of ultrasonography in the diagnosis of heterotopic pregnancy and the follow-up.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis of 50 cases of clinically diagnosed heterotopic pregnancy in our hospital was performed, the clinical characteristics and ultrasonographic manifestations of the patients were summarized, the reasons for initial ultrasound missed diagnosis and misdiagnosis were analyzed, and the pregnancy outcomes were followed up.

RESULTS

Among the 50 cases, the initial ultrasound diagnoses of intrauterine pregnancy were all gestational sac type, 32 cases of ectopic pregnancy were located in the fallopian tube, and 10 cases were located in the uterine horn, 1 case at cervix, and 1 case at caesarean section scar. Forty-one cases were consistent with surgery and/or pathology, representing initial ultrasound diagnosis coincidence rate of about 82%. Six cases were missed in the initial ultrasound examination (12%), and three cases were misdiagnosed (6%). The maximum diameter of the intrauterine gestational sac was 9-48 mm, the average was about 24.90 ± 9.56 mm, the maximum diameter of the ectopic pregnancy gestational sac or mass was 11-63 mm, and the average was about 31.45 ± 13.82 mm (p < 0.05). Intrauterine pregnancy outcomes were followed up, 45 patients with complete data and 5 patients were lost to follow-up. The follow-up rate was about 90%.

CONCLUSION

Combining the patient's medical history and clinical characteristics can reduce missed diagnosis and misdiagnosis of heterotopic pregnancy. Ultrasonography has important value in the assessment of intrauterine pregnancy growth and development, and the integrity of maternal uterus.

Management of heterotopic pregnancy: clinical analysis of sixty-five cases from a single institution

Objective

This retrospective study aims to analyze the influence of different treatment modalities on viable intrauterine pregnancy and to summarize the clinical features of heterotopic pregnancy (HP) patients.

Material and methods

All patients diagnosed with HP between January 2012 and December 2022 in Tianjin Central Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital were reviewed retrospectively.

Results

This study diagnosed 65 patients using transvaginal ultrasound (TVS), including two cases of natural pregnancy, seven cases of ovulation induction pregnancy, and 56 cases after in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET). The gestational age was 50.2 ± 13.0 days at the time of diagnosis. The most frequent manifestations were abdominal pain (61.5%) and vaginal bleeding (55.4%), while 11 patients (16.9%) had no symptoms before the diagnosis. The primary treatment was expectant and surgical management, including laparotomy and laparoscopic surgery. In the expectant management group, four patients were transferred to surgery due to rupture of ectopic pregnancy or ectopic pregnancy mass gradually enlarged. In the surgical management group, 53 patients underwent laparoscopic surgery, and six underwent laparotomy. The laparoscopic group's mean operation time was 51.3 ± 14.2 min (range: 15-140 min), and the median intraoperative blood loss was 20 mL (range 5-200 mL). In contrast, the laparotomy group's mean operation time was 80.0 ± 25.3 min (range 50-120 min), and the median intraoperative blood loss was 22.5 mL (range 20-50 mL). Four patients had postoperative abortions. Sixty-one newborns had no birth abnormalities, and no developmental malformations were discovered after a median follow-up of 32 months.

Conclusion

Expectant treatment has a high failure rate in HP, and laparoscopic surgery is a safe and effective treatment for removing ectopic pregnancy without increasing the risk of abortion or newborn birth defects.

The indicator of clinical outcomes for patients with heterotopic pregnancy following in-vitro fertilization with embryo transfer

OBJECTIVE

To explore the early predictors for pregnancy outcomes in patients with heterotopic pregnancy (HP) following in-vitro fertilization with embryo transfer (IVF-ET).

MATERIAL AND METHODS

This retrospective study reviewed 81 patients with HP following IVF-ET in our institution between January 2003 and September 2017. The relationships between clinical outcomes and general characteristics, sonographic features and different management options were analyzed by logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

The gestational age at the time of diagnosis was 50.9 ± 12.3 days. Among these cases, 76 were accurately diagnosed by TVS, 1 was misdiagnosed as adnexal torsion by TVS, and 4 were confirmed to have IUPs after the surgical treatment. Hence, the sensitivity of TVS for detecting HP was 93.8% (76/81). However, forty-seven patients (58.0%) had suspected HP when they underwent the initial TVS. Among these patients, live births occurred for 60 patients, 11 of whom delivered preterm. The miscarriage rate was 58.3% (14/24) for patients without IUP cardiac activity at HP diagnosis, and 12.3% (7/57) for patients with IUP cardiac activity; a significant correlation was identified (χ² = 18.651, P < 0.001). Additionally, the abortion rate of patients following fresh non-donor embryo was higher than patients after frozen-thawed embryo (χ² = 10.437, P = 0.001). Further by logistic regression analysis, patients following frozen-thawed embryo and an IUP with cardiac activity at HP diagnosis were identified as two independent factors of pregnancy outcome. (OR = 0.060, 95%CI = 0.008-0.471, P = 0.007; OR = 0.010, 95%CI = 0.001-0.124, P<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients following frozen-thawed embryo and an IUP with cardiac activity at HP diagnosis could be the independent predictors for a favorable prognosis.

Live birth after treatment of a spontaneous ovarian heterotopic pregnancy: A case report

Spontaneous heterotopic pregnancies occur in about 1/30000 pregnancies, with the ovarian subtype comprising 2.3% of the total. We report the case of a healthy 32-year-old woman, gravida 4, para 3, who presented to the emergency room with severe abdominal pain. Two weeks earlier, pelvic ultrasound had revealed a 6-week intrauterine pregnancy. She was hemodynamically stable, but had rebound tenderness on the right iliac fossa. Transvaginal ultrasound revealed an evolutive intrauterine pregnancy with a gestational age (GA) of 8 weeks, with a synchronous evolutive adnexal pregnancy of the same GA and some free fluid in the pouch of Douglas. She underwent an urgent laparoscopy which showed an intact gestational sac containing an embryo on the right ovary associated with mild hemoperitoneum. An ovarian wedge resection was performed to preserve ovarian tissue. The intrauterine pregnancy had no complications and the patient delivered vaginally at term. Heterotopic pregnancy is potentially life-threatening. Despite being extremely rare after natural conception, and even more so in the absence of major risk factors, it should be considered in any pregnant woman with abdominal pain. A high index of suspicion is important for a prompt diagnosis, selection of the appropriate surgical treatment and successful obstetric outcomes.