Systemic methotrexate therapy versus laparoscopic salpingostomy in patients with tubal pregnancy. Part I. Impact on patients' health-related quality of life.

OBJECTIVE

To compare patients' health-related quality of life after systemic methotrexate therapy versus laparoscopic salpingostomy for tubal pregnancy.

DESIGN

Multicenter randomized clinical trial.

SETTING

Departments of obstetrics and gynecology of six Dutch hospitals.

PATIENT(S): Hemodynamically stable patients with a laparoscopically confirmed unruptured tubal pregnancy without signs of active bleeding, who were randomly assigned to undergo either systemic methotrexate therapy or laparoscopic salpingostomy.

INTERVENTION(S): Standard health-related quality of life questionnaires administered before and 2 days, 2 weeks, 4 weeks. and 16 weeks after confirmative laparoscopy.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Health-related quality of life.

RESULT(S): Health-related quality of life was impaired most severely 2 days after confirmative laparoscopy in both treatment groups and improved during follow-up. Health-related quality of life was impaired more severely after systemic methotrexate therapy than after laparoscopic salpingostomy. Medically treated patients had more limitations in physical functioning, role functioning, and social functioning; had worse health perceptions, less energy, more pain, more physical symptoms, and a worse overall quality of life; and were more depressed than surgically treated patients.

CONCLUSION(S): Systemic methotrexate therapy had a more negative impact on patients' health-related quality of life than did laparoscopic salpingostomy. This negative impact on patients' health-related quality of life of systemic methotrexate therapy should be taken into account when deciding on the appropriate therapy for tubal pregnancy.