Serum markers in the diagnosis of tubal pregnancy

• Main Authors: Fabio Roberto Cabar, Paula Beatriz Fettback, Pedro Paulo Pereira, Marcelo Zugaib
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Faculdade de Medicina / USP 2008-01-01
• Series: Clinics
• Subjects: Ectopic pregnancy; First trimester pregnancy; Progesterone; Vascular endothelial growth factor; Pregnancy-associated plasma protein A
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1807-59322008000500021
• ISSN: 1807-5932; 1980-5322

The introduction of highly sensitive methods, such as transvaginal sonography and measurement of serum b-human chorionic gonadotropin, has dramatically improved ectopic pregnancy diagnosis in recent years. Early diagnosis is the key to successful and conservative management of women with ectopic pregnancy; however, approximately 50 percent of such women are initially misdiagnosed, resulting in significant morbidity and mortality. In order to improve diagnosis, several serum markers are being investigated including progesterone, CA 125, pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A, vascular endothelial growth factor, and maternal creatine kinase. Measurement of serum vascular endothelial growth factor, alone or together with other markers, could be a promising method for earlier and more accurate differential diagnosis. However, the clinical applicability of these findings remains to be evaluated in larger prospective studies.