| Abstract: | Reports from throughout the world consistently reveal an increasing incidence of ectopic pregnancy that appears to be linked to pelvic inflammatory disease, previous tubal surgery, and IUD use. Ectopic pregnancy generally presents with pelvic or lower abdominal pain, amenorrhea, and vaginal bleeding. Methods of establishing the diagnosis include ultrasonography and laparoscopy; before 5-6 weeks of gestation, these methods may no t be sufficiently sensitive and use of serial monitoring of the beta-chain of human chorionic gonadotropin concentrations in plasma is recommended. Salpingectomy is indicated if the ectopic pregnancy has ruptured and the tube is very swollen. Conservative surgery is a possibility when there has not been rupture and damage to the tube is minimal. A comparison of data from England's Jessop Hospital for Women shows that, while more ectopic pregnancies were treated in 1988-90 than in 1977-79 (109 and 49, respectively), this complication is being diagnosed at an earlier stage, before there is extensive damage to the fallopian tube. The mean gestation of ectopic pregnancies in 1977-79 was 8.1 + or - 2.8 weeks compared to 7.4 + or - 1.7 weeks in 1988-90. As a result, only 4% of the ectopic pregnancies in the earlier period compared to 14% in the more recent period could be treated by conservative surgery. |
