Ectopic pregnancy: Diagnostic approaches and therapeutic strategies

Abstract

Ectopic pregnancy, a potentially serious condition, is one of the main causes of maternal morbidity and mortality in early pregnancy. Early diagnosis is important because it prevents serious complications, such as tubal rupture and internal bleeding. In addition, therapeutic strategies must be individualized, considering that each patient has clinical stability and the desire to preserve fertility. The aim of this article is to discuss the advances in diagnostic techniques that are allied to therapeutic strategies that corroborate significant improvements in clinical outcomes. The study was carried out through a search of the Medline/PubMed, Virtual Health Library (VHL) and Scientific Electronic Library Online (Scielo) databases. The research question and strategy used were based on the PICO model. Clinical trial studies, meta-analysis, randomized controlled trials, full articles, books and documents published in English, Spanish and Portuguese in the last 5 years were included. A total of 237 articles were initially found. After analysis and elimination of duplicates, 155 references were analyzed by title and abstract, of which 65 were included for full reading. After this stage, 55 references were excluded. In the end, 10 studies were considered eligible. The available evidence shows that ectopic pregnancy continues to be a clinical challenge and requires continuous improvement in diagnostic and therapeutic approaches in order to prevent complications and provide quality of life for patients.