Ectopic pregnancy Pregnancy The status during which female mammals carry their developing young (embryos or fetuses) in utero before birth, beginning from fertilization to birth. Pregnancy: Diagnosis, Physiology, and Care refers to the implantation Implantation Endometrial implantation of embryo, mammalian at the blastocyst stage. Fertilization and First Week of a fertilized egg ( embryo Embryo The entity of a developing mammal, generally from the cleavage of a zygote to the end of embryonic differentiation of basic structures. For the human embryo, this represents the first two months of intrauterine development preceding the stages of the fetus. Fertilization and First Week) outside the uterine cavity. The main cause is disruption of the normal anatomy of the fallopian tube Fallopian Tube A pair of highly specialized canals extending from the uterus to its corresponding ovary. They provide the means for ovum transport from the ovaries and they are the site of the ovum's final maturation and fertilization. The fallopian tube consists of an interstitium, an isthmus, an ampulla, an infundibulum, and fimbriae. Its wall consists of three layers: serous, muscular, and an internal mucosal layer lined with both ciliated and secretory cells. Uterus, Cervix, and Fallopian Tubes: Anatomy. Consequently, affected patients Patients Individuals participating in the health care system for the purpose of receiving therapeutic, diagnostic, or preventive procedures. Clinician–Patient Relationship may suffer from acute abdominal pain Abdominal Pain Acute Abdomen as the developing embryo Embryo The entity of a developing mammal, generally from the cleavage of a zygote to the end of embryonic differentiation of basic structures. For the human embryo, this represents the first two months of intrauterine development preceding the stages of the fetus. Fertilization and First Week increases in size. Ectopic pregnancy Pregnancy The status during which female mammals carry their developing young (embryos or fetuses) in utero before birth, beginning from fertilization to birth. Pregnancy: Diagnosis, Physiology, and Care can be quickly diagnosed by means of an ultrasound and laboratory analysis. Management can be expectant, medical, or surgical. Severe cases involving rupture of the fallopian tube Fallopian Tube A pair of highly specialized canals extending from the uterus to its corresponding ovary. They provide the means for ovum transport from the ovaries and they are the site of the ovum's final maturation and fertilization. The fallopian tube consists of an interstitium, an isthmus, an ampulla, an infundibulum, and fimbriae. Its wall consists of three layers: serous, muscular, and an internal mucosal layer lined with both ciliated and secretory cells. Uterus, Cervix, and Fallopian Tubes: Anatomy and hemorrhage are considered a medical emergency and require immediate surgery.
Last updated: 8 Jan, 2021
Ectopic pregnancy Pregnancy The status during which female mammals carry their developing young (embryos or fetuses) in utero before birth, beginning from fertilization to birth. Pregnancy: Diagnosis, Physiology, and Care (EP) can occur when the fertilized egg does not enter the uterine cavity by way of the fallopian tube Fallopian Tube A pair of highly specialized canals extending from the uterus to its corresponding ovary. They provide the means for ovum transport from the ovaries and they are the site of the ovum’s final maturation and fertilization. The fallopian tube consists of an interstitium, an isthmus, an ampulla, an infundibulum, and fimbriae. Its wall consists of three layers: serous, muscular, and an internal mucosal layer lined with both ciliated and secretory cells. Uterus, Cervix, and Fallopian Tubes: Anatomy by the 5th to 6th day of gestation.
Transvaginal ultrasound Transvaginal Ultrasound Obstetric Imaging showing an endometrial stripe of 2.4 cm (red arrow), no visible intrauterine pregnancy Pregnancy The status during which female mammals carry their developing young (embryos or fetuses) in utero before birth, beginning from fertilization to birth. Pregnancy: Diagnosis, Physiology, and Care, and a right adnexal mass Mass Three-dimensional lesion that occupies a space within the breast Imaging of the Breast, suggestive of an EP (yellow arrow)
Image: “Blob sign” by Mikael Häggström. License: CC0Transvaginal ultrasound showing an intrauterine device (IUD) with its respective distal shadow, blood in the abdominal cavity, no visible intrauterine gestational sac, and a spherical mass (or “blob”) close to the right ovary representing the EP
Image: “ Transvaginal ultrasound Transvaginal Ultrasound Obstetric Imaging” by Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA. License: CC BY 4.0An EP must be closely monitored. The management of an EP can be expectant, medical, or surgical depending on the patient’s condition.
There are many differential diagnoses of an ectopic pregnancy Pregnancy The status during which female mammals carry their developing young (embryos or fetuses) in utero before birth, beginning from fertilization to birth. Pregnancy: Diagnosis, Physiology, and Care. These diagnoses can be categorized into non-gynecological and gynecological causes.
The mnemonic “HAIKU POEM” can help you remember the many differential diagnoses of an ectopic pregnancy Pregnancy The status during which female mammals carry their developing young (embryos or fetuses) in utero before birth, beginning from fertilization to birth. Pregnancy: Diagnosis, Physiology, and Care. (A haiku is a traditional Japanese poem.)
Non-gynecological causes: HAIKU
Gynecological causes: POEM