Treating ectopic pregnancy with colpotomy

PURPOSE: To report the use of colpotomy for the treatment of ectopic pregnancies. METHODS: This was a retrospective cross-sectional study conducted on all women hospitalized with a clinical-laboratory suspicion of ectopic pregnancy who did not fulfill the criteria for drug treatment with methothrexate, during the period from February 2007 to August 2008. Demographic variables, gynecologic history and characteristics associated with treatment were obtained by reviewing the medical records. RESULTS: Eighteen women were included in the study. Mean age was 27 +/- 5.2 years. All patients presented ruptured ectopic pregnancy and all were submitted to partial salpingectomy. Surgical time ranged from 30 to 120 minutes (mean: 64.5 minutes) calculated from the moment when the patient entered the operating room to the moment when she left it. No patient presented postoperative infection. Mean time of hospitalization was 40 +/- 14.3 hours. The medications used during the postoperative period were similar in all cases, being based on nonsteroid anti-inflammatory drugs, dipyrone, paracetamol and meperidine, as needed. The diet was reintroduced 8 hours after the end of surgery. CONCLUSIONS: The use of colpotomy in the treatment of ectopic pregnancy showed good results, with the absence of important complications and a short hospitalization time. The basic surgical instruments needed for this procedure are relatively common to all hospitals, and the surgical technique is reproducible.