Early Detection of Ectopic Pregnancy by Transabdominal Sonography

Ectopic pregnancy is a high risk condition that occurs in 1.9% of reported pregnancies. The commonest sites of ectopic pregnancy being fallopian tubes accounting for more than 95%, followed by ampulla 55%, isthmus 25%, fimbria 17% and abdominal cavity 3%. The commonest presenting symptoms are abdominal pain, amenorrhea, adnexal tenderness, and adnexal mass and abnormal vaginal bleeding. The peak age of incidence is 26-30years; most of the patients have identifiable risk factors, the important risk factors include primigravida, tubectomy, history of abortion, infertility, pelvic inflammatory disease and history of previous surgery. Transabdominal sonography has a significant role in early detection of Ectopic pregnancy. The spectrum of ultrasound findings in ectopic pregnancy is broad, identification of extrauterine gestational sac containing a yolk sac (with or without embryo) and ectopic heart beat confirms diagnosis.