title: Successful non-surgical management of a heterotopic abdominal pregnancy following embryo transfer with cryopreserved-thawed embryos.
abstract: Heterotopic pregnancy is an increasingly common complication of assisted reproductive technology. Abdominal pregnancy is a rare and life-threatening form of ectopic pregnancy that can present as the extrauterine portion of a heterotopic pregnancy. We present the case of a cryopreserved-thawed embryo transfer that resulted in a simultaneous intrauterine and abdominal pregnancy first recognized at 10 weeks gestation. Ultrasound-guided transvaginal injection of potassium chloride into the abdominal pregnancy resulted in asystole and spontaneous resorption of the ectopic fetus, while the intrauterine pregnancy continued and resulted in a liveborn vaginal delivery at full term. Selective embryo reduction using a non-surgical approach in a haemodynamically stable patient can therefore be considered in the management of heterotopic abdominal pregnancy if diagnosed relatively early.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015925:Cryopreservation; D004624:Embryo Transfer; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007267:Injections; D011189:Potassium Chloride / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011247:Pregnancy; D018607:Pregnancy Reduction, Multifetal; D011269:Pregnancy, Abdominal / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal; D014621:Vagina