Molar pregnancy after tubal ligation in a patient with neuroendocrine tumour: when a rare condition coincides with an unexpected diagnosis.
A 40-year-old woman with a history of bilateral tubal ligation and a recent diagnosis of metastatic neuroendocrine tumour in the liver presented with severe nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and dehydration. She had an inconclusive urine pregnancy test in the emergency department that was followed by an extremely high serum β-human chorionic gonadotropin. Transvaginal ultrasound, MRI and subsequent pathology from a dilation and curettage (D&C) revealed that the patient had a complete molar pregnancy. This is a case of an unusual patient who reminds us that one person can have a rare diagnosis and an unexpected obstetrical outcome. We could find no evidence in the medical literature of a causal link between these two diagnoses but present this case report of a reproductive age woman with neuroendocrine tumour and complete molar pregnancy. This case also serves as an example of the phenomenon of the 'hook effect.'
Department of Family Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
Afi Mansa
AM
Semenya
Caroline
C
Roberts
Anne
A
Mounsey
D000328:Adult; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D004107:Dilatation and Curettage / Q000379:methods*; D019160:Endosonography / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006828:Hydatidiform Mole / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D018358:Neuroendocrine Tumors / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D011247:Pregnancy; D035583:Rare Diseases; D013246:Sterilization, Tubal; D016896:Treatment Outcome