Endometrial stripe thickness in tubal and intrauterine pregnancies

• Published in: Fertility and sterility Vol. 74; no. 5; pp. 889 - 891
• Main Authors: Levgur, Michael, Tsai, Tony, Kang, Katherine, Feldman, Joseph, Kory, Leslie A
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01.11.2000; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Chorionic Gonadotropin, beta Subunit, Human - blood; Cohort Studies; endometrial stripe thickness; Endometrium - diagnostic imaging; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; intrauterine pregnancy; log βHCG; Mother. Fetoplacental unit. Mammary gland. Milk; Pregnancy - blood; Pregnancy - physiology; Pregnancy, Ectopic - blood; Pregnancy, Ectopic - diagnostic imaging; Pregnancy. Parturition. Lactation; Reference Values; Tubal pregnancy; Ultrasonography, Prenatal; Vertebrates: reproduction; Tubal pregnancy; log βHCG; endometrial stripe thickness; intrauterine pregnancy; Pregnancy; Human; Human chorionic gonadotrophin; Pregnancy disorders; Prediction; Biological marker; Female; Gonadotropin; Ectopic pregnancy; Placental hormone
• ISSN: 0015-0282; 1556-5653
• DOI: 10.1016/S0015-0282(00)01542-9

Objective: To evaluate endometrial stripe thickness (EST) among patients with tubal pregnancy (TP) and intrauterine pregnancy (IUP). Design: Historical cohort. Setting: City hospital. Patient(s): Ninety-four women suspected to have TP. Intervention(s): Serum βHCG and sonographic EST measurements. Main Outcome Measure(s): Comparison of age, gestational age (GA), EST, and log βHCG. Result(s): The two groups of women, 65 with TP and 29 with IUP, had similar mean ages (±SD) of 28.6 ± 5.7 and 28.6 ± 6.1, respectively. The median values of GA in the 2 groups were similar, 46.6 and 44.6 d, respectively. The mean values for EST (±SD), adjusted for GA, were significantly different: 9.9 ± 5.9 mm in the TP group and 12.6 ± 5.3 mm in the IUP group. The mean values (±SD) of log βHCG in the 2 groups also differed significantly: 6.90 ± 1.29 and 7.52 ± 0.97, respectively. No correlation was found between EST and GA or log βHCG within either group. Conclusion(s): The mean EST in women with TP was significantly smaller than in women with IUP. The wide range of EST values and their overlap precludes the utilization of EST as a single feature in the diagnosis of a tubal pregnancy.