Laparoscopy in ectopic pregnancy: Diagnostic or therapeutic tool?? Review of 3 cases

Abstract

Ectopic pregnancy is a common condition in early pregnancy managed laparoscopically if needs surgical management. Most of the ectopic pregnancies can be diagnosed prior to laparoscopy. Transvaginal scan has become a gold standard in the diagnosis. Diagnosis however depends on the skill and experience of the sonographer. A clinician with no experience in scanning would depend on the scan report and clinical presentation of patient. Would it be acceptable to carry out a laparoscopy for diagnostic purpose rather than therapeutic in the diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy? We reviewed 3 cases of suspected ectopic pregnancy in our department where a laparoscopy was carried out with normal findings. This review looks at the scan findings, clinical presentation, biochemical markers of each patient to see if laparoscopy could have been avoided in each of these cases and a more conservative approach could have been taken.