How to detect ectopic pregnancy

To put it simply, ectopic pregnancy is a type of ectopic pregnancy, which means that the fertilized egg does not implant in the uterine cavity, but implants and grows outside the uterine cavity. If an ectopic pregnancy is discovered, surgery must be performed immediately, otherwise it will cause great harm to the pregnant woman and may even cause death. Therefore, it is very important to know whether it is an ectopic pregnancy. Try to detect and treat it early.

There are several main methods for detecting ectopic pregnancy:

(i) Posterior fornix puncture: Since blood in the abdominal cavity is most likely to accumulate in the rectouterine pouch, even if the amount of blood is not large, it can be sucked out through posterior fornix puncture. Use an 18-gauge long needle to pierce the rectouterine pouch from the posterior fornix of the vagina. Aspirating dark red, non-coagulated blood is a positive result, indicating the presence of intra-abdominal blood.

(ii) Pregnancy test: When the embryo is alive or the trophoblast cells are viable, the syncytial cells secrete hCG and the pregnancy test may be positive. Since the hCG level in patients with ectopic pregnancy is lower than that in normal pregnancy, the general hCG determination method has a low positive rate, and a more sensitive β-hCG radioimmunoassay or monoclonal antibody enzyme-labeled method must be used for detection.

(III) When ultrasound is used to diagnose early tubal pregnancy, B-ultrasound imaging shows an enlarged uterus, but an empty uterine cavity and a low-echo area next to the uterus. This image is not the sonographic feature of tubal pregnancy, and the possibility of early intrauterine pregnancy with corpus luteum of pregnancy needs to be excluded. Ultrasound detection of the gestational sac and fetal heartbeat is very important for diagnosing ectopic pregnancy. If the pregnancy is located outside the uterus, it can be diagnosed as an ectopic pregnancy; if the gestational sac is located inside the uterus, ectopic pregnancy can usually be ruled out. B-ultrasound has important clinical significance for early diagnosis of interstitial pregnancy, as it can show protrusion of one uterine horn, local thickening of the muscle layer, and an obvious gestational sac inside.

(IV) Laparoscopic examination can be performed when conditions permit and when necessary.

(V) Diagnostic curettage for endometrial pathology examination is only suitable for patients with heavy vaginal bleeding, with the purpose of excluding intrauterine pregnancy. Uterine discharge should be routinely sent for pathological examination. If villi are seen in the section, it can be diagnosed as intrauterine pregnancy. If only decidua is seen without villi, although ectopic pregnancy should be considered, it cannot be confirmed.

These methods are all professional methods for detecting ectopic pregnancy, and we also need to know what are the common symptoms of ectopic pregnancy in the early stage, such as abdominal pain, amenorrhea, vaginal bleeding, syncope and shock, as well as nausea, vomiting, frequent urination, etc. When these symptoms occur, it is necessary to check whether it is an ectopic pregnancy.