Diagnostic Medical Sonography News November 2019 | Page 4

Departments
OB/GYN
Ectopic Pregnancy
and Ultrasounds
WORKS CITED
Danielsson, Krissi. “What Are the Symptoms
and Treatment of Ectopic Pregnancy?”
Very well Family, Very well Family, 12 Mar.
2019, www.verywellfamily.com/ectopic-
pregnancy-2371494.
“Ectopic Pregnancy.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo
Foundation for Medical Education
and Research, 22 May 2018, www.
mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/
ectopic-pregnancy/symptoms-causes/syc-
20372088.
“Ectopic Pregnancy.” Reproductive Facts,
www.reproductivefacts.org/news-and-
publications/patient-fact-sheets-and-
booklets/documents/fact-sheets-and-info-
booklets/ectopic-pregnancy/.
“Women’s Health Care Physicians.” ACOG,
www.acog.org/Patients/FAQs/Ectopic-
Pregnancy?IsMobileSet=false.
NHS Choices, NHS, www.nhs.uk/conditions/
ectopic-pregnancy/treatment/.
Ectopic pregnancy is rare with fewer than 200,000 cases per year in the United States.
This occurs when a fertilized egg implants outside the uterus. Having an ectopic
pregnancy is very painful and life threatening, because a fertilized egg cannot survive
outside the uterus; therefore, as the egg grows, it will cause damage to surrounding
organs and a great loss of blood. The symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy are often
vaginal bleeding and pain in the pelvic region (Mayo Clinic). Almost all of ectopic
pregnancies occur in a fallopian tube and as the egg grows, it can cause the tube
to rupture causing major bleeding (ACOG). This is where having an ultrasound scan
early on is vital. Having an ultrasound of the pelvic region can determine whether
the patient has an ectopic pregnancy. Transvaginal ultrasound, also called an endo-
vaginal ultrasound, is a type of pelvic ultrasound that is used to examine the female
reproductive organs like the uterus, fallopian tubes, and vagina. According to Very
Well Family, an online resource on pregnancy, “A transvaginal ultrasound showing no
gestational sac with an hCG level above 1,500 is considered fairly certain evidence
of an ectopic pregnancy”. After the patient is diagnosed with an ectopic pregnancy,
the doctor will suggest different approaches to end the pregnancy for the sake of the
patient’s health. There are two ways to end an ectopic pregnancy. One way includes
using the medication Methotrexate that stops the egg from growing. The patient
may need the medication injected more than once. If this treatment is unsuccessful
then surgery to remove the egg will be necessary. This specific surgery is called a
Keyhole surgery, also known as laparoscopy. It should be performed by a surgeon
before the egg grows in a life-threatening way. According to NHS, “Removing the
affected fallopian tube is the most effective treatment and isn’t thought to reduce
your chances of becoming pregnant again”. Having an ultrasound with hCG and
progesterone blood level measurements are very useful in dire cases like an ectopic
pregnancy, because they can quickly determine what the patient has and how to treat
it (Reproductive Facts). It can be scary being diagnosed with an ectopic pregnancy,
but with the correct tests and treatments the patient will be just fine.
Lauren
Program Intern
Abdominal
Interstitial
Diagnostic
Medical
Sonography
Tubal Isthmus
Cervical
Peritoneal
Tubal Ampullar
Ovarian
Infundibular
Ostial
Image created by the author