Maternal factors such as salpingitis and peritubal adhesion are known to be associated with ectopic pregnancy; however, a few studies have considered the chromosomal complements of ectopic conceptuses. We studied 16 ectopic conceptuses obtained by surgical resection. The karyotyping of chorionic villi was performed using direct and culture technique. Among 16 studied cases, 14 cases showed normal karyotype (nine with 46, XY; five with 46, XX). One case showed trisomy 16(47, XY, + 16) and another showed variation from normal chromosomal complement (46, XY, 14s+), resulting in 6.3% incidence of the structural abnormalities of the chromosome. On the basis of our study, we determined the possibility of chorionic villi karyotyping in ectopic pregnancy. This ectopic conceptuses are no more likely to show chromosomal abnormalities than in utero conceptuses of comparable gestational age. Therefore, maternal factors such as salpingitis and peritubal adhesion are the most likely explanations for ectopic pregnancy.
Adult ; *Chorionic Villi Sampling ; Cytogenetics ; Female ; Human ; Karyotyping ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy, Ectopic/*genetics

OBJECTIVETo assess the association of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) gene polymorphisms with ectopic pregnancy (EP) among Chinese women.

METHODSA case-control study was carried out, which compared 192 women with a history of EP with 210 post-menopausal controls who had two pregnancies but no history of EP for the genotypes of the VEGF gene. Polymorphisms of the VEGF gene including -460C/T, -1154G/A, -2578C/A and +936C/T were determined with a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method.

RESULTSNo significant difference was found in the genotypic and allelic distribution of the -460C/T and +936C/T polymorphisms between the two groups. Compared with the GG genotype, the VEGF -1154 AA+GA genotype could significantly decrease the risk of EP (OR=0.61, 95%CI: 0.42-0.87). Compared with the CC genotype, VEGF -2578 AA+CA genotype could significantly reduce the risk of EP (OR=0.66, 95%CI:0.44-0.99). Haplotype analysis suggested that the T-A-A (VEGF -460/-1154/-2578) and C-A-A haplotypes could significantly decrease the risk of EP compared with the T-G-C haplotype (P=0.020, OR=0.41, 95%CI:0.19-0.89, P=0.014, OR=0.29, 95%CI:0.11-0.82).

CONCLUSIONThe -1154A or -2578A alleles of the VEGF gene can significantly decrease the risk of EP among Chinese women. The VEGF -460C/T, -1154G/A and -2578C/A polymorphisms showed a linkage disequilibrium. Both T-A-A and C-A-A haplotypes can significantly decrease the risk of EP.

Adult ; Case-Control Studies ; Female ; Genotype ; Haplotypes ; Humans ; Linkage Disequilibrium ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy, Ectopic ; etiology ; genetics ; Risk ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; genetics