Invasive ultrasound in the management of cervical ectopic pregnancy

A Systematic Review about Cervical Pregnancy and our Experience

Background

Cervical ectopic pregnancy is a relatively rare type of ectopic pregnancy and has no standardized guidelines for management.

Methods

This systematic review is based on the collection of case reports, published in PubMed/MEDLINE about the resolution of ectopic cervical pregnancies over the last decade and the presentation of a case managed in our healthcare unit. Studies involving cervical pregnancy in the first trimester with the presence of a viable embryo and β-hCG in the serum below 100.000 mIU/mL were included, while heterotopic pregnancies were excluded.

Results

Nineteen articles reporting twenty-three case reports are demonstrated explicitly emphasizing on the management techniques. There is no established approach for the management of this type of ectopic pregnancy.

Conclusion

It is important to consider the conservative approaches as first-line treatment in all cases of cervical pregnancy preserving fertility. Minimally invasive methods are also described and preferred as second-line treatment, as reported in our literature review.

Experience of a Tertiary Service in the Treatment of Women with Cervical Pregnancy

OBJECTIVE

 Cervical pregnancy is challenging for the medical community, as it is potentially fatal. The treatment can be medical or surgical; however, there are no protocols that establish the best option for each case. The objective of the present study was to describe the cases of cervical pregnancy admitted to a tertiary university hospital over a period of 18 years.

METHODS

 A retrospective study based on a review of the medical records of all cervical pregnancies admitted to the Women's Hospital at Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Southeastern Brazil, from 2000 to 2018.

RESULTS

 We identified 13 cases of cervical pregnancy out of a total of 673 ectopic pregnancies; only 1 case was initially treated with surgery because of hemodynamic instability. Of the 12 cases treated conservatively, 7 were treated with single-dose intramuscular methotrexate, 1, with intravenous and intramuscular methotrexate, 1, with intravenous methotrexate, 1, with 2 doses of intramuscular methotrexate, and 2, with intra-amniotic methotrexate. Of these cases, one had a therapeutic failure that required a hysterectomy. Two women received blood transfusions. Four women required cervical tamponade with a Foley catheter balloon for hemostasis. There was no fatal outcome.

CONCLUSION

 Cervical pregnancy is a rare and challenging condition from diagnosis to treatment. Conservative treatment was the primary method of therapy used, with satisfactory results. In cases of increased bleeding, cervical curettage was the initial treatment, and it was associated with the use of a cervical balloon for hemostasis.

Retrospective Evaluation of Patients Treated for Ectopic Pregnancy: Experience of a Tertiary Center

OBJECTIVE

 In recent years, there has been an increase in the incidence of ectopic pregnancies; therefore, it is important for tertiary centers to report their approaches and outcomes to expand and improve treatment modalities. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the general characteristics, treatment and outcomes of cases diagnosed with ectopic pregnancy.

METHODS

 In total, 432 patients treated for ectopic pregnancy between February 2016 and June 2019 were retrospectively evaluated.

RESULTS

 Overall, 370 patients had tubal pregnancy, 32 had cesarean scar pregnancy, 18 had pregnancy of unknown location, 6 had cervical pregnancy, and 6 had interstitial pregnancy. The most important risk factors were advanced age (> 35 years; prevalence: 31.2%) and smoking (prevalence: 27.1%). Thirty patients who did not have any symptoms of rupture and whose human chorionic gonadotropin (β-hCG) levels were ≤ 200 mIU/ml were followed-up with expectant management, while 316 patients whose β-hCG levels were between 1,500 mIU/ml and 5,000 mIU/ml did not have an intrauterine gestational sac on the transvaginal or abdominal ultrasound, did not demonstrate findings of rupture, and were treated with a systemic multi-dose methotrexate treatment protocol. In total, 24 patients who did not respond to the medical treatment, 20 patients whose β-hCG levels were > 5,000 mIU/ml, 16 patients who had shown symptoms of rupture at the initial presentation, and 6 patients diagnosed with interstitial pregnancy underwent surgery. Patients with cervical and scar pregnancies underwent ultrasound-guided curettage, and no additional treatment was needed.

CONCLUSION

 The fertility status of the patients, the clinical and laboratory findings, and the levels of β-hCG are the factors that must be considered in planning the appropriate treatment.

Two Cases of Ectopic Pregnancy Mimicking Gestational Trophoblastic Disease

A well-known typical feature of ectopic pregnancy is an evident gestational sac structure outside of the uterus. However, some cases show atypical appearance that is described as a heterogeneous hypervascular mass. We report two cases of ectopic pregnancy that presented heterogeneous findings mimicking gestational trophoblastic diseases but were correctly diagnosed as ectopic pregnancies on MRI. The first case was an interstitial pregnancy in which the patient underwent surgical treatment. The second case was a cesarean scar pregnancy that was treated conservatively but showed spurious enlargement of pregnancy-related lesions after the treatment. Both cases lacked myometrial invasion on MRI, and the patients were diagnosed with ectopic pregnancies. Invasive findings on MRI may discriminate ectopic pregnancy from trophoblastic tumors and avoid unnecessary hysterectomy.

Conservative treatment of abnormally located intrauterine pregnancies (cervical and cesarean scar pregnancies): a multicenter analysis (Polish series)

Objectives: To analyze the effectiveness and outcome of conservative treatment in cases of abnormally located intrauterine pregnancies (cervical and cesarean scar).Study design: A retrospective analysis was performed of 30 pregnant women hospitalized due to abnormally located intrauterine pregnancies. The analyzed group comprised 24 pregnant women with abnormally located pregnancies. The patients were divided into two groups: the first group consisted of patients treated systemically with methotrexate, while the second of those treated locally by administration of methotrexate (MTX) and/or potassium chloride (KCl) by gestational sac puncture.Results: The analyzed group comprised 24 pregnant women with abnormally located pregnancies. Eight patients were diagnosed with cervical pregnancy (CP) and 16 patients were diagnosed with cesarean scar pregnancy (CSP). Six patients were excluded from the study: two with spontaneous abortions, two heterotopic pregnancies, and two cornual pregnancies. Twelve analyzed patients underwent MTX systemic administration (five patients with CP, seven with CSP). In five patients, systemic treatment was ineffective; they were qualified for additional local therapy with gestational sac (GS) puncture and MTX or KCl administration to the sac and additional administration of MTX to the trophoblast area. In second group of 12 patients (three CP, nine CSP), local treatment (GS puncture with MTX or MTX + KCl) was used as the first line treatment. One patient underwent combined treatment (local + systemic).Conclusions: Conservative treatment should be the gold standard procedure in abnormally located intrauterine pregnancies. It is noticeable that MTX / KCl is more effective in a direct administration to the GS. In four cases, systemic MTX did not produce the desired effects. In these cases, the treatment was assisted by local administration of MTX or KCl, resulting in the termination of an abnormally located pregnancy.

Conservative management of cervical pregnancy with intramuscular administration of methotrexate and KCl injection: Case report and review of the literature

We report the case of a cervical pregnancy successfully treated with intramuscular injection of methotrexate (MTX) and intramniotic administration of potassium chloride. A 41-year-old woman was admitted to our Department with the suspicion of ectopic pregnancy. Transvaginal ultrasound revealed empty endometrial cavity, gestational sac within the cervical canal and embryonic echo measuring crown rump length 1.5 mm. Serum beta human chorionic gonadotropine (β-HCG) was measured 28590 IU/L. No cardiac activity was detected. The diagnosis of a cervical pregnancy was made. Patient was treated with intramuscular administration of methotrexate (50 mg/m²) in combination with ultrasound-guided intramniotic injection of KCl (2 meq/mL). Gradual decrease of β-HCG levels as well as ultrasound observation of collapsed gestational sac was observed. No curettage was necessitated. Patient was discharged on day 10^th and was set in follow-up on a weekly basis. β-HCG values were measured < 10 IU/L on 56^th day after MTX administration. Intramuscular administration of MTX may be effective in treatment of cervical pregnancy without additional interventional measures.