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Levels of vascular endothelial growth factor are elevated in patients with ectopic pregnancy: is this a novel marker?
Y Daniel1, E Geva, L Lerner-Geva
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Lis Maternity Hospital, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Israel.
Objective:
To determine serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and evaluate their capacity to serve as a marker for the diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy (EP).
Design:
Prospective, case-controlled study.
Setting:
A tertiary care center.
Patient(S):
Twenty women with EP, 10 women with normal intrauterine pregnancy, and 10 women with abnormal intrauterine pregnancy, all at comparable stages of gestation.
Intervention(S):
Serum samples were obtained from all women.
Main Outcome Measure(S):
All samples were analyzed for VEGF, progesterone, and beta-hCG by specific methods.
Result(S):
Women with EP had higher serum levels of VEGF than women with normal intrauterine pregnancy and women with abnormal intrauterine pregnancy (median levels, 226.8 pg/mL, 24.4 pg/mL, and 59.4 pg/mL, respectively). With a cutoff level of 200 pg/mL, serum VEGF could distinguish intrauterine from extrauterine pregnancy with a sensitivity of 60%, specificity of 90%, and positive predictive value of 86%.
Conclusion(S):
The increased serum VEGF levels in women with EP may facilitate this challenging diagnosis and reduce maternal morbidity and mortality.
