title: Diagnosis and management of extrauterine pregnancies.
abstract: This study was based on 16 women provisionally diagnosed as having extrauterine pregnancies. Of these, 13 (81.3%) were confirmed as positive at operation. Patients were managed according to 1 of 3 regimens; 1) methotrexate (n = 4), 2) methotrexate followed by surgery (n = 3) and 3) surgery (n = 6). Serial blood samples, collected before and after treatment, were analyzed for ovarian (oestradiol, E2; progesterone, P4) uterine (placental protein 14, PP14) and placental markers (chorionic gonadotrophin, HCG; pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A). Of the pretreatment samples, only 30.4% and 41.7% were depressed for PP14 and HCG, respectively. By contrast, the diagnostic value of PAPP-A (77.8%) and P4 (87.5%) was greater. Biochemical monitoring of treatment was best achieved with trophoblastic derived antigens (HCG), whereas antigens of maternal origin demonstrated widely varied responses. This study established the effectiveness of chemotherapy for treatment of tubal pregnancies as an alternative to surgery, but if a biochemical marker is required, the marker of choice is HCG.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Royal North Shore Hospital, St. Leonards, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Sinosich
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Torode
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Saunders
mesh_terms: D000032:Abortion, Therapeutic; D000328:Adult; D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin / Q000097:blood; D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D004624:Embryo Transfer; D004958:Estradiol / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro; D000071816:Glycodelin; D006023:Glycoproteins; D006801:Humans; D008727:Methotrexate / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011247:Pregnancy; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins / Q000097:blood; D011274:Pregnancy, Tubal / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D011266:Pregnancy-Associated Plasma Protein-A / Q000032:analysis; D011374:Progesterone / Q000097:blood; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin; D000071816:Glycodelin; D006023:Glycoproteins; C045246:PAEP protein, human; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins; D011374:Progesterone; D004958:Estradiol; D011266:Pregnancy-Associated Plasma Protein-A; D008727:Methotrexate