Intrauterine to intraabdominal pregnancy: ultrasound demonstration

Malformations and deformations in abdominal pregnancy

Abdominal gestation is a relatively uncommon complication of pregnancy. Previous reports describe a high incidence of fetal deformations and mortality as well as maternal mortality. A case of twin abdominal gestation is presented and the literature concerning abdominal pregnancy since 1809 is reviewed. The survival rate of liveborn infants of 30 or more weeks gestation was 63%. The maternal mortality rate since 1809 was 18.2%, but this has decreased to 4.5% during the last 20 years. The combined rate of malformations and deformations in the infants was 21.4%. The most common deformations observed were facial and/or cranial asymmetry and various joint abnormalities. Among the most common malformations were limb deficiency and central nervous system malformations. Proposed mechanisms of compression and vascular disruption are discussed.

The sonographic features of intra-abdominal pregnancy

The sonographic features of three cases of extrauterine, intra-abdominal pregnancy are presented in conjunction with a brief review of the clinical and radiographic features of the condition. Based on our experience and a review of the literature, we found that the major criteria for the sonographic diagnosis of extrauterine, intra-abdominal pregnancy include: 1) demonstration of a fetus in a gestational sac outside the uterus, or the depiction of an abdominal or pelvic mass identifiable as the uterus separate from the fetus; 2) failure to see a uterine wall between the fetus and urinary bladder; 3) recognition of a close approximation of the fetus to the material abdominal wall; and 4) localization of the placenta outside the confines of the uterine cavity.