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Case Reports
. 2023 Jan 26;59(2):233.
doi: 10.3390/medicina59020233.

Interstitial Ectopic Pregnancy-Case Reports and Medical Management

Małgorzata Kampioni  1 , Karolina Chmaj-Wierzchowska  1 , Katarzyna Wszołek  1 , Maciej Wilczak  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Interstitial Ectopic Pregnancy-Case Reports and Medical Management

Małgorzata Kampioni et al. Medicina (Kaunas). .

Abstract

The term intramural (interstitial) ectopic pregnancy refers to a pregnancy developing outside the uterine cavity, with a gestational sac implanted into the interstitial part of the Fallopian tube, surrounded by a layer of the myometrium. The prevalence rate of interstitial pregnancy (IP) is 2-4% of all ectopic pregnancies. Surgery is the primary treatment for interstitial ectopic pregnancy; the pharmacological management of ectopic pregnancy, including IP, in asymptomatic patients includes systemic administration of methotrexate. In this report, we present two cases of this rare pregnancy type, reviewing our management technique and treatment ways presented in the literature. In our patients, the management was initially conservative and included methotrexate, administered as intravenous bolus injection, regular beta-human chorionic gonadotropins (β-HCG) level measurements in peripheral blood, and monitoring of the patient's general condition. Due to signs of intra-abdominal bleeding in patient A and inadequate β-HCG level reduction in patient B, both patients eventually underwent laparoscopic cornual resection. Pregnancy, implanted into the interstitial part of the Fallopian tube and surrounded by myometrial tissue with myometrial invasion of the trophoblast, poses a serious diagnostic challenge to modern gynecology due to particularly low sensitivity and specificity of symptoms, and may require both pharmacological and surgical treatment.

Keywords: clinical decision making; ectopic; laparoscopy; pregnancy.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(A,B)—Patient A—a 2D transvaginal ultrasound of an interstitial ectopic pregnancy within the right uterine horn in different dimensions.
Figure 2
Figure 2
(A) Patient A—interstitial ectopic pregnancy within the right uterine horn, viewed from the abdominal cavity. (B)—Patient A—Postoperative view following the cornual resection due to interstitial pregnancy. Hemostatic effect after the minimally invasive surgery.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Patient B—2D transvaginal ultrasound of IP within the left uterine horn, cornual bulge.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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