Case report: Successful laparoscopic management of primary abdominal pregnancy

Overall, –1% of ectopic pregnancies are abdominal pregnancies,which can be life-threatening even when surgical interventionwith laparotomy is performed. We present a case in which abdominalpregnancy was successfully managed by operative laparoscopy.A 25 year old Japanese woman presented 6 weeks after her lastmenstruation with elevated basal body temperature, lower abdominalpain, and light vaginal bleeding. The urinary human chorionicgonadotrophin (HCG) concentration was 2137 IU/I, and laparoscopicfindings (i.e. the implantation site was the posterior serosaof the uterus with normal adnexae) established a diagnosis ofprimary abdominal pregnancy. The gestational product was completelyremoved by laparoscopic surgery with no uncontrollable lossof blood. The urinary concentration of HCG declined rapidlyand the patient made an uneventful recovery. Operative laparoscopyis a safe alternative for the management of appropriately selectedpatients with early abdominal pregnancy.