2020 Volume 36 Issue 2 Pages 125-129
We investigated the role of an aggressive approach using dilation and curettage (D&C) prior to laparoscopic surgery to avoid unnecessary surgery in patients in whom ectopic pregnancy is indistinguishable from intrauterine miscarriage.
The study included 84 patients diagnosed with suspected ectopic pregnancy over 2 years from April 2017. D&C was performed prior to laparoscopic surgery in 21 of the 84 patients.
The rate of change of serum human chorionic gonadotropin levels on the day following D&C was significantly higher in the ectopic pregnancy group than in the miscarriage group (10.9±18.4 vs. -53.1±12.5%, P<0.001).
Aggressive D&C could be considered a useful approach to distinguish between ectopic pregnancy and miscarriage to avoid unnecessary laparoscopic surgery in these patients.
