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Published on: November 3, 2023
Ectopic pregnancy diagnosis and the pseudo-sac
Ahmed A Ahmed1, Brian D M Tom, Peter Calabrese
1Medical Research Council, Biostatistics Unit, Institute of Public Health, University Forvite Site, Cambridge, United Kingdom. aaa42@cam.ac.uk
Objective:
To evaluate the impact of an ultrasound finding of a pseudo-sac (PS), a uterine sac without a double decidual ring or a yolk sac, on the management of cases with possible ectopic pregnancy.
Design:
A retrospective review of a series of cases.
Setting:
A general hospital.
Patient(S):
Seventy-seven patients who had a diagnostic laparoscopy over a period of 3 years for suspected ectopic pregnancy.
Main Outcome Measure(S):
A logistic regression analysis was conducted to evaluate the effect of the ultrasound finding of a PS on predicting a negative finding at laparoscopy.
Result(S):
The report of a PS is significantly associated with a false-positive diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy.
Conclusion(S):
A diagnosis of PS should not be interpreted as indicative of an ectopic pregnancy because radiological differentiation between an early intrauterine pregnancy failure and an ectopic pregnancy is not possible.
