Total laparoscopic wedge resection for an intramural ectopic pregnancy using an intraoperative ultrasound system: A case report

Asian J Endosc Surg. 2024 Apr;17(2):e13303. doi: 10.1111/ases.13303.

Abstract

Intramural pregnancy is a rare form of ectopic pregnancy, and the optimal treatment remains uncertain. We describe a 33-year-old woman (gravida 2, para 0) who visited our hospital with suspected ectopic pregnancy. The patient was asymptomatic and hemodynamically stable. Transvaginal ultrasonography revealed pregnancy at 6 weeks of gestation and a gestational sac and fetal heartbeat in the anterior muscular layer of the uterus, away from the endometrium. The fetal sac measured 26 mm. The serum human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) level had increased to 27 655 mIU/mL. Accordingly, the patient was diagnosed with an intramural ectopic pregnancy and underwent total laparoscopic wedge resection using intraoperative ultrasonography. The postoperative course was uneventful, and she was discharged after 4 days. Her serum hCG level normalized at 26 days postoperatively. This case indicates that intraoperative laparoscopic ultrasonography seems viable for treating intramural pregnancies.

Keywords: intramural ectopic pregnancy; intraoperative ultrasound system; laparoscopic surgery.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Laparoscopy*
  • Pregnancy
  • Pregnancy, Ectopic* / diagnostic imaging
  • Pregnancy, Ectopic* / surgery
  • Ultrasonography