Successful rescue hysteroscopic resection of a cervical ectopic pregnancy previously treated with methotrexate with no combined safety precautions.

BACKGROUND: Cervical pregnancy (CP) is a life-threatening condition that represents less than one percent of all ectopic pregnancies. Transvaginal sonography (TVS) is the gold standard for an accurate diagnosis. For hemodinamically stable women the available treatments involve a medical therapy, alone or in combination with interventional measures (hysteroscopy, angiographic embolization or laparoscopic ligation of uterine arteries).

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The authors describe a CP unsuccessfully treated with methotrexate (MTX), but resolved with hysteroscopy.

CASE REPORT: A nulliparous woman arrived with low abdominal pain without vaginal bleeding at six weeks of amenorrhea. TVS revealed a gestational sac implanted in the isthmic cervical region, with a serum beta-hCG of 1,100 mUI/ml, that raised to 4,274 mUI/ml in a week, despite one intrasaccular-MTX injections and two systemic doses. The authors arranged for a hysteroscopic resection with no previous dilatation of the cervix. They did not adopt any safety precautions to their procedure.

CONCLUSION: It is difficult to define the exact role of hysteroscopy regarding CP. Despite some authors dispute on its complementary function to MTX, the authors believe that it could be used as a rescue method in case of MTX failure. The final aims of a proper management are to minimize the risk of haemorrhage and preserve women's fertility.