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Abstract
An adolescent female presented with an acute abdomen and elevated beta-human chorionic gonadotropin levels and underwent a laparoscopy for a suspected ruptured ectopic pregnancy. Intraoperatively, a ruptured haemorrhagic corpus luteal cyst and tissues suggestive of products of conception were noted in the same ovary. Histology confirmed an ovarian ectopic pregnancy. Haemorrhagic ovarian cysts, and ectopic pregnancies, can cause acute pelvic pain in women of childbearing age. Their similar clinical signs and symptoms pose a diagnostic dilemma for any gynaecologist. Ruptured corpus luteal cysts, as well as ruptured ovarian ectopic pregnancies, should be considered rare but differential diagnoses in women presenting with acute abdominal pain, an adnexal mass and ultrasound features of haemoperitoneum. The mainstay of treatment is a diagnostic laparoscopy, which is a safe and feasible management strategy without compromising patient safety or ovarian function in the long run.
- Obstetrics and gynaecology
- Pregnancy
- Ultrasonography
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Footnotes
Contributors The following authors were responsible for drafting of the text, sourcing and editing of clinical images, investigation results, drawing original diagrams and algorithms, and critical revision for important intellectual content: JL and GC. The following authors gave final approval of the manuscript: GC and JL. GC and JL both conceived the presented idea for the case report. GC collected the data and results under the supervision of JL. All authors discussed the results and contributed to the final manuscript. GC did a literature review and wrote the manuscript with the editing and input of JL. Both authors were equally involved in the overall direction and planning. JL liaised with the patient for consent taking and for further explanation of the case report, as well as obtaining the patient’s perspective.
Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Case reports provide a valuable learning resource for the scientific community and can indicate areas of interest for future research. They should not be used in isolation to guide treatment choices or public health policy.
Competing interests None declared.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.