Interstitial Ectopic Pregnancy: A Rare Diagnosis

Abstract

An ectopic pregnancy is located outside the uterus, mostly found in the fallopian tubes. The main predisposing factors are usually related to anatomical and/or functional disturbances of the fallopian tubes. Typically, an ectopic pregnancy presents with vaginal bleeding or abdominal pain in the first trimester of pregnancy, although it may be asymptomatic. The diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy, which is based on transvaginal ultrasound associated with the serum beta fraction of human chorionic gonadotropin values, is of the highest relevance due to the mortality risk involved. We report the case of a 26-year-old woman who presented with a four-week history of amenorrhea and abdominal pain. Initially, the diagnostic hypothesis was a pelvic inflammatory disease, as the patient complained of pain during deep palpation of the lower quadrants of the abdomen, and gynecological observation detected malodorous discharge and cervical tenderness. Antibiotic treatment was initiated. The patient was later diagnosed with ectopic pregnancy, which was discovered during a routine pregnancy ultrasound. She was submitted to urgent laparotomy with intraoperative confirmation of the interstitial location of the gestational sac.

Interstitial Ectopic Pregnancy Associated With Painless and Severe Vaginal Bleeding: A Rare, Atypical Clinical Presentation

“…The preoperative diagnosis of interstitial ectopic pregnancy is challenging [10]. Typically, these patients seek medical care relatively late compared to women with tubal pregnancies in other locations.…”