title: Characteristics of indigent women with ruptured and unruptured tubal pregnancies.
abstract: The diagnosis of tubal pregnancy, whether ruptured or unruptured, often requires a surgical procedure, such as laparoscopy or laparotomy, for confirmation. We compared women with ruptured and unruptured tubal pregnancies to determine whether the clinical presentations, morbidity and surgical complications in the two groups were significantly different. We compared the demographic characteristics, clinical presentations, laboratory findings, morbidity and complications from surgical management in the two groups. Women with ruptured tubal pregnancies had a higher incidence of abdominal pain lasting less than 24 hours, adnexal tenderness and positive culdocentesis from hemoperitoneum as compared to women with unruptured tubal gestations. Abnormal uterine bleeding was observed less frequently in women with ruptured tubal pregnancies as compared to women with unruptured ones despite similar gestational ages at presentation. All the patients with a tubal pregnancy were managed surgically. The morbidity and surgical complication rates in the two groups were not significantly different.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Louisiana State University School of Medicine, Shreveport 71130.
authors.forename: K B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Poole
authors.forename: W N
authors.initials: WN
authors.lastname: Otterson
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Dunnihoo
authors.forename: L E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Bairnsfather
authors.forename: D C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Long
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009017:Morbidity; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D011203:Poverty; D011247:Pregnancy; D011274:Pregnancy, Tubal / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery; D012307:Risk Factors; D012422:Rupture, Spontaneous