Combination of conservative treatment and temporary bilateral laparoscopic uterine artery clipping with hysteroscopic transcervical resection for cervical pregnancy: A retrospective study

Management of non-tubal ectopic pregnancies analysis of a large tertiary center case series

PURPOSE

Ectopic pregnancies include cesarean scar (CSP), cornual and cervical pregnancies. Various treatment modalities have been- described, but no standardized procedure has been defined so far. The aim of our analysis was to evaluate the diagnostics and treatment at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, LMU University Hospital, Munich.

METHODS

In this retrospective, single-center analysis, 24 patients treated between 2015 and 2020 were analyzed. After verification of the diagnosis by imaging and HCG-analysis, the treatment was individually determined: therapy with methotrexate (MTX) locally with or without simultaneous systemic treatment, surgical treatment via curettage, excision with uterine reconstruction even hemi hysterectomy.

RESULTS

Ten patients presented with CSP, six with cervical and eight with cornual pregnancies. Median age was 34.6 years. CSP was treated with local MTX in six cases; five required additional treatment with systemic MTX or curettage. Primary curettage or surgery was performed in four cases. In cervical pregnancies the primary therapy with local MTX injection and systemic treatment was performed in 50%. One patient was treated with MTX and insertion of a Bakri balloon. Trachelectomy was required in one case. 50% of cornual pregnancies were treated with MTX locally and intramuscularly and 50% received surgery.

CONCLUSION

Treatment strategies were based on the patient's individual risk parameters. The results of this study show, that simultaneous treatment with local and systemic MTX had good outcomes and could avoid surgeries.

Effectiveness and safety of ultrasound-guided intramuscular lauromacrogol injection combined with hysteroscopy in cervical pregnancy treatment: A case report

BACKGROUND

Cervical pregnancy is increasing in morbidity, and a definite diagnosis in early stages is challenging due to its specific onset site. Surgery is the mainstay of treatment for cervical pregnancy, but it may result in the loss of natural fertility. Therefore, it is a great challenge to pursue a safe and effective treatment for cervical pregnancy.

CASE SUMMARY

We report the case of a cervical pregnancy successfully treated by ultrasound-guided cervical-intramuscular lauromacrogol injection combined with hysteroscopy. A 23-year-old woman with minor irregular vaginal bleeding was admitted to our department with suspected ectopic pregnancy. Transvaginal ultrasound revealed a gestational sac (approximately 22 mm x 13 mm) situated in the cervical canal with a yolk sac and blood flow signals. No cardiac activity was detected. Serum beta progesterone was 17.06 ng/mL, and serum beta human chorionic gonadotropin (β-HCG) was 5077.0 IU/L. The patient was diagnosed with cervical pregnancy. She was treated by ultrasound-guided cervical-intramuscular injections of lauromacrogol (3 mL) in combination with aborting under hysteroscopic visualization. A gradual decrease in β-HCG levels and normal ultrasound findings were observed. Postoperative pathologic examination showed the presence of villi and changes in the endometrium in the secretory phase. The patient was discharged on day 6, and her β-HCG level was 0.67 mIU/mL after 1 wk. There was no statistical difference between baseline and 1-week postoperative data in terms of serum indices including liver function, renal function, and routine blood analysis after treatment. The patient subsequently became pregnant 2 mo later and no abnormalities were detected on routine screening during pregnancy.

CONCLUSION

Ultrasound-guided cervical-intramuscular lauromacrogol injection combined with hysteroscopy may be effective and safe in the treatment of cervical pregnancy.

Hysteroscopic Treatment of Cervical Pregnancy: A Scoping Review of the Literature

OBJECTIVE

Many therapies have been proposed for cervical pregnancy (CP) treatment; however, there is no consensus on the best practice to adopt, mainly owing to the rarity of this condition and the lack of randomized controlled trials. Therefore, there are no clinical practice guidelines for the management of this patient set. We presented an English literature review about the hysteroscopic management of CP.

DATA SOURCES

The literature review was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Scoping Reviews. The search strategy aimed at identifying cases from the first patients tracked down to those diagnosed in May of 2021. We searched in PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and MEDLINE databases. Mesh terms used included "Cervical Pregnancy," "Hysteroscopy," "Ectopic pregnancy," and "Resectoscopy."

METHOD OF STUDY SELECTION

Case reports of randomized controlled trials, prospective controlled studies, prospective cohort studies, retrospective studies, case series, and case reports were considered eligible. Review, Letters to the Editor, and abstracts accepted at conferences were ruled out.

TABULATION, INTEGRATION, AND RESULTS

We found a total of 3572 articles in all analyzed databases. A total of 2480 articles viewed were duplicated and therefore ruled out. After screening and excluding nonpertinent articles, 109 were assessed for eligibility, and 19 were included in the analysis. All articles were single case reports, small case series with no criteria selection, randomization, or study planning. We classified them as follows: cases treated with 10 mm resectoscope, with or without pretreatments of previous CP hysteroscopic approach, and cases resolved with 5 mm hysteroscopy, with or without pretreatments of previous CP hysteroscopic approach.

CONCLUSION

The hysteroscopic method represents a feasible and safe approach to the CP treatment, although there are still some aspects to be clarified, such as the pretreatment need and the instruments' type and sizes based on the beta-subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin, pregnancy age, and dimension.

Management of Cervical Ectopic Pregnancy with Small-Caliber Hysteroscopy

Background and Objectives:

Cervical ectopic pregnancy is one of the rarest forms of ectopic pregnancy. We present a single center case series of 10 cases of cervical ectopic pregnancy, where 3 patients underwent small-caliber hysteroscopy as a single treatment method.

Methods:

This was a retrospective study of women treated at our medical center with the diagnosis of cervical ectopic pregnancy from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2020. Patient characteristics, medical history, obstetric history, diagnostic methods were collected. Small-caliber hysteroscopy treatment was performed in 3 patients and 7 patients underwent dilation and curettage (D&C).

Results:

We identified 10 patients diagnosed with cervical ectopic pregnancy who were treated at our center. Ultrasonography was used to diagnose all cervical ectopic pregnancies Three patients underwent small-caliber hysteroscopy as a single treatment option, while D&C was performed in 7 patients. Patients who underwent small-caliber hysteroscopy had a median gestational age at diagnosis of 7 weeks and initial βHCG < 10,000 mIU/mL. These patients had shorter hospital stay and a lower estimated blood loss than patients who underwent D&C.

Conclusions:

In our experience, small-caliber hysteroscopy is a safe and effective single treatment option for cervical ectopic pregnancy, but requires a skilled and experienced gynecologist.