HISTOPATHOLOGICAL FINDINGS OF THE TROPHOBLAST AND THE TUBAL WALL AFTER DRUG-THERAPY OF TUBAL PREGNANCIES

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effects of drug therapy o n the trophoblast and on the tubal wall when prostaglandin F2 alpha (P GF2 alpha) was administered in cases of tubal pregnancies. 42 patients were divided into two groups: women of group I (n = 30) were secondar ily treated by surgery because of raising serum HCG levels. Group II ( n = 12) consisted of patients who were operated on because of acute sy mptoms (abdominal pains, intraabdominal haemorrhage), despite already falling HCG values. In group I in 66% (n = 20) of the histological spe cimes an intact (vital) trophoblast was found. Five cases (17%) showed partly necrotic gestational tissue, whereas in another five cases (17 %) the whole trophoblast was necrotic. In patients of group II all ect opic pregnancies showed histological signs of necrosis. In the histopa thology of the Fallopian tubes no signs of trophic regression could be found. However, ten out of 22 cases showed ruptured tubal pregnancies . In this analysis we could show that the instillation of PGF2a electi vely destroys the ectopic trophoblast and does not exercise any necrot ic action on the tubal wall.