DOPPLER FINDINGS IN CHRONIC ECTOPIC PREGNANCY - CASE-REPORT

Chronic ectopic pregnancy is an uncommon form of tubal pregnancy manif ested as a pelvic mass with minimal symptoms and a low or absent titer of human chorionic gonadotropin. For this reason, most of the reporte d cases have been diagnosed only after explorative laparotomy. The val ue of Doppler ultrasonography for preoperative diagnosis of this entit y has not yet been established. We report on a 36-year-old patient who was admitted for intermittent right lower quadrant abdominal pain of 3 months' duration, and a right adnexal mass found on pelvic examinati on. On Doppler ultrasonography, a right complex adnexal mass was demon strated, characterized by extensive external vascularization, aberrant vessels and arteriovenous shunting, but with no internal blood flow. Explorative laparotomy revealed a right tubal mass adherent to the ome ntum, and covered by numerous enlarged and tortuous blood vessels orig inating in the omentum. Pathological examination of the mass revealed a chronic ectopic pregnancy. The possible contribution of Doppler-spec ific characteristics for the diagnosis of chronic ectopic pregnancy is described and discussed.