Ovarian ectopic pregnancy: diagnosis, treatment, correlation to Carnegie stage 16 and review based on a clinical case

Objective

To present a case of a vital ectopic pregnancy after 8 weeks that was located in the right ovary.

Design

Case study and literature review.

Setting

Hospital outpatient clinic.

Patient(s)

A 29-year-old primigravida presented with lower abdominal pain and mild vaginal bleeding at 8 weeks after her last menstrual period.

Intervention(s)

Wedge resection of the ovary which did not affect subsequent fertility.

Main Outcome Measure(s)

Conservative treatment options and preservation of patient's reproductive capacity.

Result(s)

The embryo was laparoscopically removed in toto and visualized. Therefore, macroscopic correlation to Carnegie stage 16 of development was possible.

Conclusion(s)

Approximately 3% of all ectopic pregnancies are located in the ovaries. Preoperative diagnosis of this extremely rare condition is challenging, because the ectopic tumor often resembles cysts of the corpus luteum. At surgery, the trophoblast tissue or the embryo can rarely be visualized completely.

Key Words: Ectopic pregnancy, ovarian pregnancy, pregnancy, Carnegie stages