title: Compliance with follow-up in an inner-city population treated with intramuscular methotrexate for suspected ectopic pregnancy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate compliance with follow-up among inner-city patients with ectopic pregnancy treated with methotrexate, in addition to assessing outcome.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective analysis of all patients evaluated for first-trimester bleeding and diagnosed with ectopic pregnancy at the Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center, New York, USA, from October 2007 to March 2011. Compliance and complications were evaluated for all patients who received medical treatment with methotrexate.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ninety-nine patients with hemodynamically stable ectopic pregnancies were identified. Therapy with methotrexate was effective in 87 (87.9%) cases. Only 10 (10.1%) patients were fully compliant during follow-up after methotrexate administration. There were no differences according to ethnicity. Number of follow-up visits after treatment significantly affected compliance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Improvements in selection criteria for therapy and simplification of follow-up for patients with medically managed ectopic pregnancy are required.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center, New York, NY 10457, USA. dugof1@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Omar F
authors.initials: OF
authors.lastname: Dueñas-Garcia
authors.forename: Constance
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Young
authors.forename: Magdy
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mikhail
authors.forename: Carolyn
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Salafia
mesh_terms: D000020:Abortifacient Agents, Nonsteroidal / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000328:Adult; D018997:Chorionic Gonadotropin, beta Subunit, Human / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007273:Injections, Intramuscular; D008727:Methotrexate / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009519:New York City; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First; D011271:Pregnancy, Ectopic / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014505:Urban Population; D016903:Drug Monitoring
chemical_list: D000020:Abortifacient Agents, Nonsteroidal; D018997:Chorionic Gonadotropin, beta Subunit, Human; D008727:Methotrexate