Rare Pregnancy Successfully Treated at Medeor 24x7 Hospital

Dubai-UAE: 06 May, 2015 –Recently, a 34 year old Indian mother of one was rushed to the emergency section of Medeor 24x7 Hospital with severe bleeding. In the early stages of her second pregnancy, an ultrasound revealed a cornual pregnancy for which she was rushed into the operating theatre for a laparoscopic surgery to resect the area.

Latest results from the Centre for Maternal and Child Enquiries (CMACE), previously known as the “Confidential Enquiry into Maternal and Child Health (CEMACH), revealed that out of 11 deaths due to ectopic pregnancies, 4 were due to cornual pregnancies. The report covers Maternal Deaths in the UK and Ireland and results are tallied over a 3 year period.

“Cornual pregnancies, where the embryo forms in the cornua area of the Fallopian tube rather than the uterus, are extremely rare and have a higher mortality compared to the usual ectopic pregnancy,” said Dr. Shiva Harikrishnan, Head of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Medeor 24x7 Hospital. “When an embryo forms it travels from the Fallopian tube to the womb where it implants. In the cornual pregnancy, it implants in the junction between the uterus and the Fallopian tube. It is very difficult to diagnose as in most cases the sufferer does not know that she’s pregnant.”

“When the embryo grows, the muscles in the cornua try to expand to accommodate the fetus and as the muscles are not designed for expansion it ruptures. This in turn leads to profuse bleeding making it a medical emergency,” said Dr. Shiva. “When the patient came in to the emergency at Medeor 24x7 Hospital, she was in this state. During her ultrasound examination, I had a hunch that this was a cornual pregnancy which was later confirmed by the radiologist.”

Chief Radiologist at Medeor 24x7 Hospital, Dr. Haitham Al Ramadani comments that it was as an Interstitial Ectopic Pregnancy (Cornual Pregnancy) diagnosed through Ultrasound.

The patient was immediately rushed into surgery where Dr. Shiva and teamlaparoscopically resected the area, removed the fetus and sutured the wound.

“Some 95% of patients die once the area has ruptured. Due to quick thinking, we were able to save the patient and she is recovering well,” Dr. Shiva continued. “Though future pregnancy in cases of operated cornual pregnancy is not contraindicated, but there is significant increased chance of rupture of uterus during labor in future pregnancy.”

“I am very thankful to Dr. Shiva and the team at Medeor 24x7 Hospital for their quick diagnosis and successful treatment of my dangerous pregnancy,” said the patient. “Due to the torrential bleeding I suffered, my family and I were quite nervous going into the emergency. However the team at Medeor 24x7 made me very comfortable pre and post-surgery and the care I received was of very high standards.”