Persistent ectopic pregnancy after laparoscopic salpingotomy: a manageable complication to preserve reproductive tubal function.

OBJECTIVE

We evaluated whether or not persistent ectopic pregnancy (PEP) is a preventable complication after conservative laparoscopic surgery (salpingotomy) for tubal pregnancy.

METHODS

We reviewed the medical records of 139 patients who underwent salpingotomy between December 1992 and December 2008.

RESULTS

Out of 139 patients, 23 (16.5%) were diagnosed with a PEP after salpingotomy. When compared with 114 (82.5%) successfully treated patients, there were no differences in preoperative features (gestational age, serum human chorionic gonadotropin [hCG] levels, and ultrasonography findings ) and postoperative reproductive potentials (ipsilateral tubal patency and pregnancy outcomes).

CONCLUSIONS

PEP, when appropriately treated, does not adversely affect tubal functions and postoperative fertility. We should uniformly perform an exact surgery paying careful attention to preserving the tubal function regardless of preoperative features.