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Pune hospital successfully carries out heterotopic pregnancy operation
The operation took place in the second half of June and doctors monitored the patient and released the information only after confirming that it is successful.
Pune An extraordinary case of tubal pregnancy was reported in a private hospital in Pune wherein a 29-year-old patient was found to have multiple gestations with one foetus inside the uterine cavity while the other outside the uterus.
To avoid any harm to the mother, the doctors suggested to abort the growth of the foetus any further which also ensured that the patient’s life is saved and also there is no harm to future pregnancies. The hospital stated that it is one of its kind case where the tubal pregnancy was treated without any cut or scar. The operation took place in the second half of June. The doctors were monitoring the patient and only after they could claim for sure that it is successful they released this information.
Motherhood Hospital, Kharadi successfully managed a young pregnant woman with an uncommon condition known as a Heterotopic pregnancy (HP). The condition may lead to significant maternal morbidity and mortality if prompt diagnosis and appropriate interventions are done.
A 29-year-old Meeta (name changed) approached the hospital with a sonography report which showed a one-and-a-half month pregnancy, not just in the womb (uterus) but also another pregnancy in the tube (cornual portion of Fallopian Tube) at the same time. This condition is called Heterotopic Pregnancy. Although it is commonly seen in patients opting for fertility treatment, in this case it was a spontaneous natural conception.
Dr Rajeshwari Pawar, Consultant Obstetrician & Foetal Medicine Speciaist said, “Normally, the pregnancy grows in the uterus, however once in a while, in about 1 per cent cases, tubal pregnancy may be seen. However, a pregnancy in the uterus and another in the tube is a rare occurence. Further growth of the cornual pregnancy may rupture the tube and cause profuse bleeding which is the common cause of maternal mortality.”
Although the conventional method is removal of the tube, in this method the blood loss can be enormous, the mother may lose a vital portion of the uterus tube and also pose a threat to her life and future pregnancies. However in this case, the doctors counselled the couple about a new method wherein a sonography guided injection of a medication which will not allow the pregnancy to grow further and the degenerated tissue would be absorbed by the body. The only disadvantage of this procedure was that the pregnancy within the uterus could not be salvaged.
After much counselling both the patients family and doctors opted to go for the latter method as the patient was a young woman. Dr Pawar added the procedure was minimally invasive and done under local anaesthesia. The whole procedure took 45 minutes and the patient was fit for discharge the same day. The follow-up was done through monitoring the levels of pregnancy hormone in the blood. He further added that, “The most significant advantage is that since there was no cut on that portion of the uterus where the fallopian tube joins, the chance of complication like rupture of the uterus in her future pregnancies is totally avoided. Motherhood Hospital is the only one to successfully carry out this procedure in Pune.”
Meeta (name changed), said, “Though, I was happy that I conceived. I was pale, suffered from abdominal pain and dizziness. Soon, my world came crashing down after I came to know about my high-risk pregnancy. But, I found a ray of hope at Motherhood Hospital. I thank the doctors for their limitless efforts to ensure that my future pregnancy is safe.”
Meeta (name changed), said, “Though, I was happy that I conceived. I was pale, suffered from abdominal pain and dizziness. Soon, my world came crashing down after I came to know about my high-risk pregnancy. But, I found a ray of hope at Motherhood Hospital. I thank the doctors for their limitless efforts to ensure that my future pregnancy is safe.”
