Successful conservative treatment for advanced interstitial pregnancy. A case report

BACKGROUND: Interstitial pregnancy is a relatively rare and life-threatening disease, occurring in 2-4% of all extrauterine pregnancies, and the maternal mortality rate is 2-2.5%. Laparoscopic surgery and, less commonly, methotrexate are the treatments of choice for interstitial pregnancy. However, there is another treatment, ultrasound-guided direct injection of etoposide, the effect and safety of which are unclear. CASE REPORT: In a 32-year-old woman with interstitial pregnancy at 12 weeks of gestation, ultrasound-guided direct injection of etoposide (100 mg) was used successfully after intravenous high-dose methotrexate, 300 mg (200 mg/m2), therapy failed to produce a response. The patient's posttherapeutic course was smooth. Twelve months after treatment, she conceived and later delivered a healthy infant vaginally without adverse events. CONCLUSION: Ultrasound-guided direct injection of etoposide offers another choice for treating advanced interstitial pregnancy, but further study is needed to define its efficacy and safety.