title: Evaluation of serum creatine kinase levels in ectopic pregnancy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze whether increased serum creatine kinase (CK) levels are useful in early detection of ectopic pregnancy (EP).
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients in a university-based reproductive endocrinology and infertility practice.
  
  
  METHODS
  Infertile women who achieved clinical pregnancy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Serum CK with isoenzymes levels were drawn after sonographic evaluation in patients achieving clinical pregnancy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Comparison of serum CK levels in patients with EP versus those with normal and abnormal intrauterine pregnancy (IUP), both separately and together as one group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was no significant difference in mean total CK levels for patients with EP (82.25 +/- 81.39 IU/L; conversion factor to SI unit, 1.00) versus normal IUP (62.54 +/- 44.79 IU/L), abnormal IUP (55.15 +/- 3.46 IU/L), or all IUP (60.87 +/- 40.72 IU/L). The mean gestational ages were similar in all three groups: EP, 46.78 +/- 6.65 days; normal IUP, 47.56 +/- 8.29 days; and abnormal IUP, 47.86 +/- 13.30 days.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Serum CK levels do not help to predict EP for infertility patients achieving conception. To assist in preventing maternal morbidity, a more discriminative test is needed to identify this condition early in gestation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ)-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick 08901, USA.
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Qasim
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Trias
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sachdev
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kemmann
mesh_terms: D003402:Creatine Kinase / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011247:Pregnancy; D011271:Pregnancy, Ectopic / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011446:Prospective Studies
chemical_list: D003402:Creatine Kinase