Current trends in the treatment of ectopic pregnancy

: Ectopic pregnancy represents even nowadays a problem with a major impact upon women reproductive health, with an incidence that is still growing. Modern diagnosis methods have allowed the disappearance of the mortality, but there are persisting significant tubal dysfunctions. The present clinical study has analyzed the evolutions of the diagnosis and treatment methods upon 238 cases of extrauterine pregnancy hospitalized in the Ist Clinic of Obstetrics and Gynecology Cluj-Napoca between years 2000 and 2006. The use of the new biochemical markers and the transvaginal ultrasound examination have allowed the diagnosis of extrauterine pregnancy in an early stage, with an increased percent of uncomplicated cases raising from 55.8% to 74%. Also the percent of laparoscopic approach has grown from 23.5 to 58.6%. The radical procedure, salpingectomy was predominantly used. The laparoscopic approach has been as successful as the laparotomy and no complications have been reported. The mean hospitalization period after laparoscopy has been significantly shorter than after laparotomy (p<0.05). These results confirm the medical and economical advantages of the laparoscopic approach and recommend laparoscopy as the election method in the management of ectopic pregnancy.