- Elham A Akbari: Obstetrics and Gynecology, Latifa Hospital, Dubai, ARE.
INTRODUCTION: The current data about ectopic pregnancy in the UAE is limited, including the incidence, method of management, and its effectiveness. This study aimed to determine the frequency of medical and surgical management in the treatment of ectopic pregnancy and the efficacy of each modality used.
METHOD: Two hundred and nine patients were diagnosed with ectopic pregnancies in the years 2018 and 2019 in Latifa Hospital and were included in this study. The patients were treated with either intramuscular injection of methotrexate (single or two doses) or surgical management.
RESULTS: Methotrexate was administered to 101 patients (48%). In 77 patients (76%), a single dose of methotrexate was administered, and in 24 patients (24%), two doses of methotrexate were administered. In the single-dose group, 75.3% (58 out of 77 patients) were successfully treated and completely recovered. While in the two-dose group, the success rate was 58.3% (14 out of 24 patients). On the other hand, among patients who underwent surgical management, the success rate was 97.2% (105 out of 108 patients). The difference in the success rates was statistically significant.
CONCLUSION: The results of the study showed that medical and surgical management were used almost equally in managing patients with ectopic pregnancy (48% vs. 52%, respectively). Furthermore, it was shown that single-dose methotrexate treatment was more successful than two doses. However, surgical management had the highest success rate among the three modalities.