Local prostaglandin treatment of ectopic pregnancy

Eleven women with small unruptured tubal pregnancies were treated by laparoscopically guided injection of prostaglandin F2 alpha in the oviduct and in the ovary which contained the corpus luteum. They had no side effects of the treatment and were discharged from hospital 1-3 days later. In 10 women the serum concentration of human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) decreased to less than 20 IU/l in a median time of 7.5 days, the range being 1-46 days. One woman required an operation 6 days after the treatment as her serum HCG level was stationary and she continued to have abdominal pain. Hysterosalpingography 3 months after the treatment showed patency of the oviduct on the side of the pregnancy in seven of the eight women who have been examined. We conclude that the injection of prostaglandin F2 alpha seems to promote the resolution of selected tubal pregnancies.