Heterotopic pregnancies are rare and difficult to be diagnosed early. A patient with combined intrauterine pregnancy and cervical pregnancy was admitted in Qingdao Municipal Hospital in 2019. The patient complained of abnormal vaginal bleeding after menopause and was misdiagnosed as simple intrauterine pregnancy. She underwent artificial abortion and suffered intraoperative hemorrhage. To stop bleeding, she received the treatment of uterine artery embolization immediately. Afterwards, cervical residual pregnancy tissues started necrosis, blood β-human chorionic gonadotropin level and the cervix appearance gradually returned to normal. This report suggests that cervical heterotopic pregnancy inclines to be mis diagnosed. Correct diagnosis should be made as soon as possible. Selective uterine artery embolization is an effective measure to prevent and treat massive bleeding.
Chorionic Gonadotropin, beta Subunit, Human ; Female ; Humans ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy, Heterotopic/surgery* ; Uterine Artery Embolization ; Uterine Hemorrhage

Heterotopic pregnancy or the coexistence of an intrauterine and an extrauterine pregnancy occurs in about 1 out of 30,000 pregnancies. Between assisted reproductive techniques and ovulation induction, it is said to occur more commonly with the former. The patient presented in this case is a 29 year old primigravid who underwent ovulation induction with clomiphene citrate and was later on diagnosed to have both an intrauterine and a non-viable extrauterine pregnancy. The management for this kind of pregnancy can be medical, surgical or expectant. The patient in this case was managed expectantly. This case study presents a review of literature on heterotopic pregnancy, and describes how this rare type of pregnancy developed in this index patient, how it is diagnosed and managed, and to showcase how expectant management can be a safe option for cases of heterotopic pregnancy.
Pregnancy, Heterotopic ; Pregnancy, Ectopic ; Clomiphene

Heterotopic pregnancy is a rare and life-threatening condition which is defined as coexistent intrauterine and ectopic gestation. The risk of ectopic and heterotopic pregnancy is increasing due to the increased risk of multiple pregnancies with the aid of assisted reproductive technologies. However, it hardly happens in the setting of single embryo transfer, since single embryo transfer significantly reduces the incidence of multiple pregnancies. Surprisingly, we experienced a case of heterotopic pregnancy after a single embryo transfer caused by coincidental natural pregnancy during assisted reproductive technologies. An infertile woman who underwent, during her natural cycle, transfer of a single embryo that had been cryopreserved for 3 years was found to be heterotopically pregnant. After an early and successful management with laparoscopic right salpingectomy, she finally reached at full-term vaginal delivery.
Embryonic Structures ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy, Heterotopic* ; Pregnancy, Multiple ; Reproductive Techniques, Assisted ; Salpingectomy ; Single Embryo Transfer*

The purpose of this study was to investigate risk factors that are associated with heterotopic pregnancy (HP) following in vitro fertilization (IVF)-embryo transfer (ET) and to demonstrate the outcomes of HP after the surgical treatment of ectopic pregnancies. Forty-eight patients from a single center, who were diagnosed with HP between 1998 and 2012 were included. All of the patients had received infertility treatments, such as Clomid with timed coitus (n = 1, 2.1%), superovulation with intrauterine insemination (n = 7, 14.6%), fresh non-donor IVF-ET (n = 33, 68.8%), and frozen-thawed cycles (n = 7, 14.6%). Eighty-four additional patients were randomly selected as controls from the IVF registry database. HP was diagnosed at 7.5 ± 1.2 weeks (range 5.4-10.3) gestational age. In six cases (12.5%), the diagnosis was made three weeks after the patients underwent treatment for abortion. There were significant differences in the history of ectopic pregnancy (22.5% vs. 3.6%, P = 0.002). There were no significant differences in either group between the rates of first trimester intrauterine fetal loss (15.0% vs. 13.1%) or live birth (80.0% vs. 84.1%) after the surgical treatment for ectopic pregnancy. The risk factors for HP include a history of ectopic pregnancy (OR 7.191 [1.591-32.513], P = 0.010), abortion (OR 3.948 [1.574-9.902], P = 0.003), and ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) (OR 10.773 [2.415-48.060], P = 0.002). In patients undergoing IVF-ET, history of ectopic pregnancy, abortion, and OHSS may be risk factors for HP as compared to the control group of other IVF patients. The surgical treatment of HP does not appear to affect the rates of first trimester fetal loss or live birth.
Abortion, Induced ; Adult ; Databases, Factual ; Embryo Transfer ; Female ; Fertilization in Vitro ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Live Birth ; Odds Ratio ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Outcome ; Pregnancy, Heterotopic/*diagnosis/surgery ; Risk Factors

Understanding the development of a skull deformity requires an understanding of the normal morphogenesis of the cranium. Craniosynostosis is the premature, pathologic ossification of one or more cranial sutures leading to skull deformities. A review of the English medical literature using textbooks and standard search engines was performed to gather information about the prenatal development and growth of the cranial vault of the neurocranium. A process of morphogenic sequencing begins during prenatal development and growth, continues postnatally, and contributes to the basis for the differential manner of growth of cranial vault bones. This improved knowledge might facilitate comprehension of the pathophysiology of craniosynostosis.
Comprehension ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Cranial Sutures ; Craniosynostoses ; Embryonic Development ; Female ; Growth and Development* ; Morphogenesis ; Ossification, Heterotopic ; Pregnancy ; Search Engine ; Skull

To evaluate the efficency and safety of laparoscopic surgery in the treatment of interstitial heterotopic pregnancy (IHP) after IVF-ET, five patients with interstitial heterotopic pregnancy after IVF-ET treated by laparoscopy in our hospital from Jan. 2012 to Jan. 2015 were retrospectively analyzed. All operations were finished laparoscopically without any major complications and they successfully delivered. The results suggest that laparosccpic surgery is feasible and safe for IHP to maintain the trauterine pregnancy, and it can diagnose and treat IHP at early stage, which cause mininmal injuries and less disturbance to trauterine pregnancy and ensure rapid recovery.
Abortion, Therapeutic ; adverse effects ; methods ; Adult ; Embryo Transfer ; adverse effects ; Female ; Fertilization in Vitro ; adverse effects ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; adverse effects ; methods ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy, Heterotopic ; etiology ; surgery ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome

This study examined the misdiagnosis and delayed diagnosis factors for ectopic pregnancy (EP) and heterotopic pregnancy (HP) after in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) in an attempt to reduce the diagnostic error. Clinical data of patients who underwent IVF-ET treatment and had clinical pregnancy from 12463 cycles were retrospectively analyzed. Their findings of serum β-hCG test and transvaginal ultrasonography were also obtained during follow-up. These patients were divided into two groups according to the diagnosis accuracy of EP/HP: early diagnosis and misdiagnosis/delayed diagnosis. The results showed that the incidence of EP and HP was 3.8% (125/3286) and 0.8% (27/3286) respectively for IVF/ICSI-ET cycle, and 3.8% (55/1431) and 0.7% (10/1431) respectively for frozen- thawed embryo transfer (FET) cycle. Ruptured EP occurred in 28 patients due to initial misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis. Related factors fell in 3 categories: (1) clinician factors: misunderstanding of patients' medical history, insufficient training in ultrasonography and unawareness of EP and HP; (2) patient factors: noncompliance with medical orders and lack of communication with clinicians; (3) complicated conditions of EP: atypical symptoms, delayed elevation of serum β-hCG level, early rupture of cornual EP, asymptomatic in early gestation and pregnancy of unknown location. All the factors were interwoven, contributing to the occurrence of EP and HP. It was concluded that complicated conditions are more likely to affect the diagnosis accuracy of EP/HP after IVF-ET. Transvaginal ultrasonography should be performed at 5 weeks of gestation. Intensive follow-up including repeated ultrasonography and serial serum β-hCG tests should be performed in patients with a suspicious diagnosis at admission.
Adult ; Chorionic Gonadotropin, beta Subunit, Human ; blood ; Delayed Diagnosis ; statistics & numerical data ; Diagnostic Errors ; statistics & numerical data ; Embryo Transfer ; Female ; Fertilization in Vitro ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy, Ectopic ; diagnosis ; Pregnancy, Heterotopic ; diagnosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Time Factors ; Ultrasonography ; methods

Heterotopic pregnancy is rare event and the risk is increased with assisted reproductive technology procedures. Heterotopic cervical pregnancy is even more unusual. We report a rare case of heterotopic cervical pregnancy that was managed successfully. A 36-year-old women who conceived by IVF-ICSI was diagnosed with heterotopic cervical pregnancy. She visited the emergency room with vaginal bleeding at 5 weeks of gestation and underwent careful intracervical gestational sac reduction with forceps under abdominal guidance the next day. The postoperative course was uneventful and with regular check-ups, the intrauterine pregnancy (IUP) progressed unremarkably through 41 weeks with delivery of a healthy newborn. We reviewed a total of 37 cases of heterotopic pregnancy that have been reported in the English language literature. There have been many attempts to eliminate the cervical embryo while preserving the IUP, and complete cervical evacuation is important in order to avoid infection, bleeding, and premature birth.
Embryonic Structures ; Emergencies ; Female ; Gestational Sac ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy, Heterotopic ; Premature Birth ; Reproductive Techniques, Assisted ; Surgical Instruments ; Uterine Hemorrhage

Heterotopic pregnancy refers to the simultaneous development of an intrauterine pregnancy and an extrauterine pregnancy. We experienced a case of a ruptured heterotopic pregnancy for a patient with a history of a right segmental salpingectomy from an ectopic pregnancy. The 30-year-old patient with amenorrhea for six weeks complained of lower abdominal pain with hypovolemic shock. Transabdominal ultrasonography showed diffuse hemoperitoneum with a structure similar to an ectatic tube or a deformed cyst with no echogenic double ring or peripheral hypervascularity in the right adnexa and an intrauterine gestational sac. We considered a ruptured corpus luteum cyst as an ultrasonographic finding and found a ruptured tubal mass in the right salpinx and hemoperitoneum through an emergency laparotomy. We performed a right salpingectomy, and the histopathologic report confirmed ectopic pregnancy.
Abdominal Pain ; Adult ; Amenorrhea ; Emergencies ; Fallopian Tubes ; Female ; Gestational Sac ; Hemoperitoneum ; Humans ; Laparotomy ; Ovarian Cysts ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy, Ectopic ; Pregnancy, Heterotopic ; Pregnancy, Tubal ; Salpingectomy ; Shock

Heterotopic pregnancy is an unusual condition that intrauterine pregnancy is accompanied by a coexisting ectopic pregnancy. The incidence of heterotopic pregnancies has increased in recent years because of rising incidence of pelvic inflammatory disease, pelvic surgery, expanding use of assisted reproductive technology. We report a rare case with heterotopic pregnancy following ovulation induction and intrauterine insemination that was diagnosed after rupture of the ectopic pregnancy. After surgical removal of the ruptured left tubal pregnancy, she carried the intrauterine pregnancy to term without any complications.
Female ; Incidence ; Insemination ; Ovulation ; Ovulation Induction ; Pelvic Inflammatory Disease ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy, Ectopic ; Pregnancy, Heterotopic ; Pregnancy, Tubal ; Reproductive Techniques, Assisted ; Rupture