Analysis of ectopic pregnancies attending to our clinic for 3 years

Ectopic pregnancy is a complication of pregnancy in which the fertilized ovum implants outside the uterine cavity, often in the fallopian tubes. This study investigated the risk factors and the diagnostic and treatment methods in the patients diagnosed with ectopic pregnancy. With this study, it was aimed to obtain practical results that will contribute to minimizing the risk factors, providing early diagnosis, selecting the best treatment method for each patient, and, more importantly, reducing maternal morbidity and mortality. The retrospective study included 192 patients who presented to our clinic with ectopic pregnancy between July 2011 and June 2014. The evaluations were based on the clinical records obtained from the electronic database of our hospital. The evaluations included demographic data, risk factors, and the diagnostic and treatment methods used for each patient. The evaluations revealed the incidence of ectopic pregnancy as 30.8/1,000. Most of the patients were aged between 30-34 years (30.7%) and the most common complaint at admission was abdominal pain (80.2%). History of abdominal surgery, mostly due to cesarean surgery, was present in 41.7% of the patients, and 9.9% of the patients had a history of ectopic pregnancy. Methotrexate treatment was performed in 96 patients (50%) with a success rate of 89.5%. Most common surgical method was salpingectomy (54%), and 37 (19.2%) patients were only followed up. In the comparison between treatment methods and specific parameters, the need for surgical intervention correlated with a number of parameters including high β-hCG level at admission, positive fetal heart beat, free fluid in the abdomen, delayed diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy, large ectopic mass, short hospital stay, and blood replacement (p<0.005). Suspicion for ectopic pregnancy should be the primary step of the diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy. Obtaining a well-defined patient history, using the correct diagnostic methods following proper pelvic and physical examinations, and, more importantly, selecting the correct treatment method for the clinical and physical conditions of the patient can be life-saving for the patient. Key words: Ectopic pregnancy, risk factors, methotrexate, medical treatment, surgical treatment