Prostaglandin versus expectant management in early tubal pregnancy

Since ectopic pregnancy may terminate in spontaneous recovery we compared treatment by means of prostaglandin (PG) application with expectant management in laparoscopically verified tubal gestations. Twelve patients received local and systemic PG, 4 patients were treated with sodium chloride and in 7 patients laparoscopy was discontinued without medical therapy. The comparison between the PG group and the placebo groups revealed a highly significant difference with regard to a subsequent necessary surgical intervention and hospitalisation. Expectant management may only be recommended in very selected cases, whereas PG treatment seems to produce favourable results in cases of early tubal pregnancy.