14 DAY TRIAL // A new serum test might prove a reliable novel diagnostic biomarker for ectopic pregnancies, according to a new study carried out by researchers at the University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
In modern western societies, deaths from ectopic pregnancy are very rare, but in the developing world, the situation is tragically different: one in ten women admitted with an ectopic pregnancy, dies.
For the research, trophoblast samples were gathered from 40 pregnant women, aged 18-45, which had surgical termination of pregnancy, surgery for tubal ectopic pregnancy or evacuation of uterus for embryonic missed miscarriage.
Serum placental growth factor (PIGF) levels were measured in all trophoblast samples and researchers found that PIGF was very low in samples from tubal ectopic pregnancies when compare to intrauterine pregnancies.
Trophoblasts are cells of the placenta that play a very important role in the implantation of the embryo.
An ectopic pregnancy, or eccyesis, is a complication of pregnancy in which the embryo implants outside the uterine cavity, with most ectopic pregnancies taking place in the Fallopian tube but also occur in the cervix, ovaries and abdomen.
Women with ectopic pregnancy suffer from severe pelvic pain and they need blood transfusion, this condition being a leading cause of pregnancy-related first trimester deaths.
Andrew Horne, PhD, of the University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom and lead author of the study, said that “finding a simple and cost-effective test using biomarkers to diagnose ectopic pregnancies would have a significant impact on reducing emotional distress and unnecessary deaths.
“Our study shows that placental growth factor , a key molecule in the formation of blood vessels, is a promising novel diagnostic biomarker for ectopic pregnancies.
“The inevitable multiple visits and tests that are currently necessary to diagnose ectopic pregnancies are a sizable expense for health services,” Horne added.
“Serum PIGF may be the answer to the urgent unmet need for a biomarker for tubal ectopic pregnancy that allows quicker diagnosis and facilitates earlier and less invasive treatment.
“Large-scale studies are now required to determine its clinical utility.”
The study was accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).