From Suspicion to Confirmation: An Original Study on a Complete Diagnostic Pathway for Ectopic Pregnancy
<b>Background/Objectives:</b> Ectopic pregnancy (EP) remains a major cause of maternal morbidity. This study aimed to describe the clinical, ultrasonographic and histopathological features of EP, including changes following methotrexate (MTX) therapy. <b>Methods:</b> A retrospective analysis was conducted on 60 patients diagnosed with EP between 2018 and 2024. Clinical characteristics, serum β-hCG (beta-human chorionic gonadotropin) dynamics, treatment type, site-specific ultrasonographic features, and histopathological aspects were evaluated. <b>Results:</b> Extrauterine EPs accounted for 63.3% of cases, predominantly tubal ectopic pregnancy (T-EP), while uterine ectopic pregnancy represented 33.3%, including cesarean scar pregnancy (CSP) in 20%. Heterotopic pregnancy was identified in 3.3%. T-EP most frequently required surgical management, whereas MTX was effective in selected T-EP and CSP cases, as demonstrated by a ≥ 15% decline in serum β-hCG levels at 7 days. Transvaginal ultrasonography (TVUS) enabled accurate site-specific localization of ectopic implantation. Histopathological evaluation confirmed ectopic implantation and MTX-related changes in treated cases. <b>Conclusions:</b> Integrating clinical findings, β-hCG dynamics, and targeted TVUS allows accurate diagnosis and individualized management of EP, with histopathology providing definitive confirmation and insight into treatment-related changes.
Authors
- R. Capitanescu
- George-Lucian Zorilă
- Laurenţiu Mogoantă (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0350-834X)
- Elena Iuliana Anamaria Berbecaru
- Dominic Gabriel Iliescu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7823-3387)
- Ștefan Paitici
- Marian Valentin Zorilă (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5021-0717)
- Daniel Pirici (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0196-0949)
- Camelia-Gabriela Rosu
- Roxana-Cristina Dragușin
- Anca-Maria Istrate-Ofiţeru
- Cristina Jana Busuioc (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-1096-1445)
- Vanda Roxana Nimigean
- Maria-Cristina Comănescu
Institutions
- Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy (RO)
- University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova (RO)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Clinical Medicine
- Published
- 2026-01-08
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm15020507
- Primary Topic
- Ectopic Pregnancy Diagnosis and Management
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00