248C ervical pregnancy is a rare form of ectopic pregnancy, which accounts for about 0.1% of such pregnancies (1). The diagnosis of cervical pregnancy is difficult and commonly delayed. It is made in the majority of cases in the presence of massive blood loss, necessitating an emergency hysterectomy in about 50% of cases (2). Cervical pregnancy has a high morbidity potential because of hemorrhage. However, mortality has decreased because of early ultrasonographic diagnosis and new treatment options to prevent life-threatening bleeding.In this report, we present our successful experience with preoperative embolization of the uterine artery.
Case reportA 41-year-old gravida 2 para 1 woman presented to the emergency department with amenorrhea for 11 weeks and painless vaginal spotting for 2 days. She was treated for threatened abortion by a progestative agent. Her obstetrical history was significant for a lower-segment cesarean section because of severe preeclampsia. She had no previous intrauterine procedures, pelvic inflammatory disease, or intrauterine devices. Her medical and surgical history were otherwise unremarkable.Four days after her initial visit, she presented to our obstetrical emergency service for persistence of painless vaginal spotting and dizziness. Clinical examination showed stable vital signs, and her abdomen was soft and nontender. Gynecological examination revealed a slightly enlarged uterus without adnexal masses. Vaginal examination revealed an anterior position of the cervix, which was extremely thin, with the external os closed; speculum examination showed a small amount of cervical bleeding. Hemoglobin was 12 g/dL and hematocrit was 34.2%.Transabdominal and transvaginal ultrasound (US) examinations confirmed the presence of a cervical twin pregnancy with two gestational sacs. One sac contained a live fetus with a 40 mm crown-rump length (CRL); the other contained a fetus with a CRL of 31 mm and no cardiac activity. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed to improve diagnostic accuracy. It confirmed the cervical implantation of two gestational sacs and showed a fine cervical myometrium (Fig. 1).To preserve fertility, conservative treatment was proposed to the patient. Treatment was initiated by intraamniotic injection of potassium chloride guided by US to stop fetal heartbeat. Cardiac activity stopped immediately after injection. The following day, the patient underwent percutaneous catheterization of the femoral artery (5 F catheter) under local anesthesia. The selective uterine artery angiograms showed that the embryonic vessels were filled predominantly from the left side uterine artery (Fig. 2). We started by embolizing left uterine artery. Embolization was performed with resorbable particles mixed with diluted contrast material. This mixture was injected until the uterine arterial flow ABSTRACT Cervical pregnancy is a rare form of ectopic pregnancy. Its treatment has been described by different authors. We report our successful experience of a cervical twin pregnancy that was ...