Roche, Maya and Kamath, Saritha U (2013) Imunoreactive α2-macroglobulin in Tubal Pregnancy: A Possible Tool for Early Diagnosis. International Journal of the A.J. Institute of Medical Sciences, 2 (1). pp. 13-16.

PDF AJ paper pdf.pdf - Published Version Restricted to Registered users only Download (77kB) | Request a copy

Abstract

About 2% of all pregnancies are ectopic, where the implantation of the developing blastocyst occurs outside the uterus. More than 98% of ectopic pregnancies occur in the fallopian tubes. Haemorrhage from ectopic pregnancy is still the leading cause of maternal death in the first trimester, presenting a diagnostic challenge to the clinician. Besides signs and symptoms, the clinician depends only on 2 tools - the ultrasound and the quantitative estimation of β-hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) for diagnosing the condition. In cases where both these do not give a clear picture as to the location of the implantation, precious time is lost waiting for a repeat β-hCG reading which might still prove to be inconclusive. Currently, there is no single serum marker available to detect tubal pregnancy. This study found a significant rise in immunoreactive serum α2-macroglobulin determined by radial immunodiffusion in ectopic pregnancy (p<0.001) when compared to normal nonpregnant and normal pregnant women, and discusses the relevance of this finding in the clinical setting.

Actions (login required)

View Item