Conservative management of cervical ectopic pregnancy: Single-center experience

The aim of this study was to assess the results of conservative treatment of cervical ectopic pregnancy (CEP).

We retrospectively reviewed all cervical ectopic pregnancies diagnosed at the present department between January 2010 and July 2015. Patients with CEP who were treated with either systemic or intra-amniotic methotrexate (MTX) injection were included in the study.

Ten CEP patients were identified. Median maternal age was 33 years (range, 23-40 years). Median gestational age at diagnosis was 47 days (range, 44-58 days). Before treatment, overall mean serum beta-human chorionic gonadotrophin (β-hCG) was 29 706.9 ± 19 695.2 mIU/mL. Mean gestational sac size was 29.0 ± 6.24 mm. Eight patients had viable fetuses with detected cardiac activity. Six patients were treated primarily with systemic MTX, and four were treated with local MTX injection. One patient in the systemic MTX injection group was switched to local MTX treatment due to severe oral ulceration and increasing β-hCG titers after the fourth dose. One patient in the local treatment group had severe hemorrhage 7 days after local MTX. Three of six women achieved spontaneous pregnancy and gave birth to term, healthy infants after treatment.

Conservative treatment of CEP with both systemic and local MTX is generally successful with regard to maternal morbidity and reproductive function, but these patients must be closely followed due to the small but real risk of late hemorrhage.