Ectopic pregnancy--a brief review

Despite the advent of improved methods of diagnosis and therapy, ectopic pregnancy remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The diagnosis is often difficult to make clinically, but should be included in the differential of any woman of gestational age presenting with lower abdominal pain, even with a normal menstrual history. With a high index of suspicion, improving methods of diagnosis such as the immunoassays for B-hCG and ultrasonography may lower mortality rates by enabling more diagnoses to be made before rupture. The significant infertility rate following ectopic pregnancy remains a problem despite newer, more conservative approaches to surgical therapy.