Background: Ectopic pregnancy after hysterectomy is a very rare condition, but it must be kept in mind in women with history of hysterectomy who present with abdominal pain and ecographic adnexal heterogeneous images. Since first described by Wendeler in 1895, at least 67 ectopic pregnancies (tubal, ovarian and abdominal) have been described in patients subjected to prior hysterectomy.
Case presentation: We describe the case of a 41-year-old white caucasian woman admitted to the emergency room due to abdominal pain for two days. The ultrasounds scan and the quantification of beta-HCG led to the diagnosis of tubal ectopic pregnancy, although she had been hysterectomized two years before. An emergency laparoscopy was performed for salpingectomy. The pathology report indicated trophoblastic tubal implantation and hematosalpinx.
Conclusions: Ectopic pregnancy is one of the conditions to be considered in the differential diagnosis of abdominal pain in women of child bearing potential, and the absence of the uterus does not rule out its diagnosis.