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Medical Treatment of Ectopic Pregnancy

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Technology and Infertility

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Abstract

Ectopic pregnancy is the commonest cause of maternal death in the United States. Because hemorrhage may be both acute and severe, surgical correction of an ectopic gestation is often indicated (Fig. 16.1). However, due to diagnostic improvements such as laparoscopy, ultrasound, and more sensitive β-human chorionic gonadotropin (β-hCG) assays, the diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy is being made much earlier. As a result, medical treatment of ectopic pregnancy is currently under active investigation by a number of clinicians. Although a number of nonsurgical systemic treatments such as RU 486 (mifepristone), actinomycin D, or local injections of potassium chloride or prostaglandins under laparoscopic or ultrasound guidance have been used (Table 16.1), this chapter will focus on methotrexate as a treatment for ectopic pregnancy. This type of treatment can be administered either systemically or locally. A summary of systemic treatment with methotrexate for tubal pregnancy is shown in Table 16.2.

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Authors
  1. Donald P. Goldstein
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Harvard Medical School, USA

    Machelle M. Seibel M.D.

  2. Faulkner Centre for Reproductive Medicine, Faulkner Hospital, Boston, MA, 02130, USA

    Machelle M. Seibel M.D.  & Judith Bernstein R.N., M.S.  & 

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© 1993 Springer-Verlag New York Inc.

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Goldstein, D.P. (1993). Medical Treatment of Ectopic Pregnancy. In: Seibel, M.M., Bernstein, J. (eds) Technology and Infertility. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-9205-7_16

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-9205-7_16

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-9207-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4613-9205-7

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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