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Abstract

The diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy can be made by non-invasive methods as a result of sensitive pregnancy tests in urine and serum and high-resolution transvaginal ultrasonography. These have been integrated in reliable diagnostic algorithms.1–4 These algorithms, in combination with the increased awareness and knowledge of risk factors among both clinicians and patients, enable an early and accurate diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy. As a consequence, the clinical presentation of ectopic pregnancy has changed from a life-threatening disease -necessitating emergency surgery - to a more benign condition in sometimes even asymptomatic patients. This in turn has resulted in major changes in the options available for therapeutic management.

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Hajenius, P.J., Mol, BW.J., Ankum, W.M., Van der Veen, F. (2003). Systemic and Local Therapy of Ectopic Pregnancy. In: Ultrasound and Endoscopic Surgery in Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-0655-5_37

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