Background: Abdominal pregnancy (pregnancy in the peritoneal cavity) is a very rare and serious type of extrauterine gestation that accounts for approximately 1.4% of all ectopic pregnancies. It also represents one of the few times an ectopic pregnancy can be carried to term. Early strategic diagnosis and management decisions can make a critical difference with regards to severity of morbidity and mortality risk. After an extensive search of the English language medical literature, we are unaware of any case of abdominal pregnancy in which the placenta was receiving its vascular supply from the sacral plexus.
Case presentation: A 26-year-old African-American woman, primigravida, at 16 weeks 4 days' gestation, presented to our Emergency Department with abdominal pain. She did not complain of any vaginal bleeding. A physical examination revealed mild abdominal tenderness and no blood in the vaginal vault. Laboratory findings corresponded to an increased level of beta human chorionic gonadotropin; magnetic resonance imaging confirmed an abdominal pregnancy. She underwent feticide, administration of methotrexate and a laparotomy was done which was immediately deferred due to perceived increased bleeding risk. She was found to have an intra-abdominal ectopic pregnancy with the placenta attached to her omentum, cul-de-sac and rectosigmoid, with unusual and extensive vascularity from the sacral plexus. A repeat laparotomy was performed 11 weeks later, aimed at removal of the gestational sac and placenta that were left in situ on the first laparotomy. This time, we achieved successful removal of the peritoneal gestation, lysis of adhesions, ligation of vascular supply and cautery of the diminished vasculature. Subsequently, she had two ectopic pregnancies, which were managed with both medical and surgical interventions.
Conclusions: Ectopic pregnancies should be identified early and evaluated for the etiology of the presentation. Rarely, an ectopic pregnancy implants at an extratubal location. Today, early intervention saves lives and reduces morbidity, but ectopic pregnancy still accounts for 4 to 10% of pregnancy-related deaths and leads to a high incidence of ectopic site gestations in future pregnancies. Medical management has emerged as a safe alternative to surgery and holds promise for preservation of future fertility; however, surgery remains an acceptable modality. We found that careful and strategic choice of management pathway can make all the difference to a favorable outcome. As emergency physicians, we need to be aware of the possibility of abdominal ectopic pregnancy in such presentations and its severe consequences if it remains undiagnosed.