[Value and advantages of laparoscopic surgery in the treatment of ectopic pregnancies]

Laparoscopic treatment of ectopic pregnancies (EP) has been performed for several years. From 1st January 1987 to 14th February 1989, 63 women with an EP were operated in our hospital by surgeons trained in laparoscopic surgery (LS). The decision to perform laparotomy was taken either in the presence of laparoscopic contraindications (n = 2), or after diagnostic laparoscopy in the presence of LS contraindications (n = 13). LS was performed 48 times (76.20%) and laparotomy was performed 15 times (23.80%). The women were classified in two groups: laparoscopic surgery (LS) and laparotomy (L). The mean ages were 30.29 and 31.40 years and mean amenorrhea was 6.48 and 6.83 weeks. The EP was ruptured 11 times in the L group (73.33%) and 4 times in the LS group (8.33%). Hemoperitoneum was more frequent in the L group (80.00%) than in the LS group (52.08%). Treatment more often consisted of salpingectomy with laparotomy (86.66%) than with LS (18.75%). Laparoscopic treatment had to be abandoned only once because of persistent bleeding. The mean operation time and hospital stay were shorter in the case of laparoscopic treatment with respectively 63.14 minutes and 4.14 days for LS versus 86.92 minutes and 7.13 days for laparotomy. There were no deaths in either group. This study shows that LS can be used in 3/4 of cases of EP and that treatment significantly shortens the operation time and the hospital stay.