Abdominal pregnancy: current concepts of management

Nine cases of early and six cases of advanced abdominal pregnancy managed at the University of Mississippi Medical Center over a 20-year period are reviewed. An incidence of one abdominal pregnancy in 4857 deliveries occurred in this series. A perinatal mortality rate of 83% and no maternal mortality were noted, in contrast to published rates of 40-95% and 0.5-18%, respectively. Important current concepts of management include difficulty in diagnosis, predisposing risk factors, suggestive signs and symptoms, the diagnostic role of ultrasound, and the appropriate surgical management of parturients with this ominous pregnancy complication.