[Comparison of endometrial changes in extra and intrauterine pregnancies. A clinical patho-anatomic study]

Endometrial scrapings from 3 x 50 patients with spontaneous abortions (SA), terminations of pregnancy (PA) and extrauterine pregnancies (EG), respectively, were examined and compared with the clinical conditions. Fibrinoid deposits and isolated cytokeratine-positive cells in the decidua were only observed in cases of uterine pregnancy (IG). Arias-Stella's phenomenon in combination with decidua was observed equally frequently in IG and EG. Decidual reaction in the endometrium was observed in all of the patients with IG in contrast to the group with EG in which approximately 1/3 did not show the decidual reaction. Absence of the decidual reaction with or without Arias-Stella's phenomenon in pregnant women is, therefore, evidence of EG.