A sensitive urine pregnancy test as an aid in the diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy.
A highly sensitive 2-hour tube test for the detection of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in urine was compared with the more resource-demanding radioimmunoassay for hCG in serum as an aid in the diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy. In a first series of 107 patients with the possibility of ectopic pregnancy, the urine test was positive in 31 patients, including all 15 patients shown to have an ectopic pregnancy. In a second series of 113 consecutive patients with ectopic pregnancy, the highly sensitive test was performed in 94 patients. It was positive in 90 (96%). The median time of amenorrhea at diagnosis was 7 weeks, and only 15 patients suffered a rupture of the fallopian tube. A highly sensitive urinary test for hCG is recommended as a screening method for patients giving even the smallest indication of ectopic pregnancy.
D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin / Q000097:blood / Q000652:urine*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011271:Pregnancy, Ectopic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D013997:Time Factors
D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin