Pathogenesis of Tubal Pregnancy

A review was made of 706 ectopic pregnancies treated at Howard University Hospital over a 20-year period. Comparison of two 10-year periods was made with special regard to the association of an inflammatory process in the involved tube. It is not the intention of this study to deny chronic pelvic inflammatory disease as a factor in the etiology of ectopic pregnancy, but it is not considered the main cause. An inflammatory process was associated in 40.1 percent of cases during the first 10 years, and 16.7 percent of cases in the second 10 years. Further study is necessary to elucidate the cause of ectopic pregnancy, probably in the direction of functional disturbances rather than structural defects.