Spontaneous Heterotopic Pregnancy: Case Report and Literature Review

Medicina (Kaunas). 2020 Jul 22;56(8):365. doi: 10.3390/medicina56080365.

Abstract

Heterotopic pregnancy is defined as a condition when intrauterine and extrauterine pregnancy occur simultaneously. It is a life-threatening condition that requires immediate and accurate diagnostics and treatment. We present a case of a 28-year-old primigravida female who conceived spontaneously and at her seventh week of gestation and was presented to the emergency department with weakness and acute pain in lower abdomen. Laboratory tests and transvaginal ultrasonography revealed the diagnosis of heterotopic pregnancy. Urgent laparoscopic salpingotomy was chosen as a treatment option. The ectopic pregnancy was successfully removed with the preservation of the intrauterine embryo and fallopian tubes. The course of pregnancy after the surgery was without complications, and a healthy baby was delivered at the 39th week of gestation. When treated properly and on time, a heterotopic pregnancy can result in live childbirth with favorable outcomes for both the child and the mother.

Keywords: ectopic pregnancy; heterotopic pregnancy; laparoscopic salpingotomy; spontaneous pregnancy.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Fallopian Tubes / diagnostic imaging
  • Fallopian Tubes / surgery
  • Female
  • Gynecologic Surgical Procedures / methods
  • Humans
  • Laparoscopy / methods
  • Pregnancy
  • Pregnancy, Heterotopic / surgery*
  • Rupture, Spontaneous / surgery
  • Ultrasonography, Prenatal / methods