Delayed diagnosis and management of late second trimester intra-abdominal pregnancy / Philippine Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology

@#Abdominal pregnancy resulting in lithopedion is a rare condition constituting only 0.0054% of all pregnancies. This is a case of a 48-year-old Gravida 6 Para 3 (3-0-2-2) who consulted at the emergency room for an ultrasound finding of abdominal pregnancy. The patient had previous imaging done which showed a live intrauterine pregnancy until her fourth ultrasound, showing fetal death in utero. After several months without passage of the products of conception, a repeat ultrasound showed an abdominal pregnancy. Diagnosis of abdominal pregnancies may be difficult, thus it is important to utilize other imaging modalities to confirm the diagnosis. The mainstay for treatment for abdominal pregnancies is laparotomy. However, due to the possible severe hemorrhage that may arise intraoperatively, preoperative and postoperative arterial embolization of feeding vessels may be performed, as was done in the case discussed.

Lithopedion causing intestinal obstruction in a 71-year-old woman: A case report / Litopedia causando obstrução intestinal em idosa de 71 anos: relato de caso

Abstract Ectopic pregnancy is the leading cause of pregnancy-related death during the first trimester, and it occurs in 1 to 2% of pregnancies. Over 90% of ectopic pregnancies are located in the fallopian tube. Abdominal pregnancy refers to an ectopic pregnancy that has implanted in the peritoneal cavity, external to the uterine cavity and fallopian tubes. The estimated incidence is 1 per 10,000 births and 1.4%of ectopic pregnancies. Lithopedion is a rare type of ectopic pregnancy, and it occurs when the fetus from an unrecognized abdominal pregnancymay die and calcify. The resulting "stone baby" may not be detected for decades andmay cause a variety of complications. Lithopedion is a very rare event that occurs in 0.0054% of all gestations. About 1.5 to 1.8% of the abdominal babies develop into lithopedion. There are only ~ 330 known cases of lithopedion in the world. We describe a lithopedion that complicated as intestinal obstruction in a 71-year-old woman.

Resumo A gravidez ectópica é a principal causa de morte materna no primeiro trimestre, e ocorre em 1 a 2% das gestações. Mais de 90% ocorrem nas tubas uterinas. Gravidez abdominal refere-se à gravidez ectópica implantada na cavidade peritoneal, externamente ao útero e às tubas uterinas.Aincidência estimada éde 1 por 10mil nascimentos e 1,4%das gravidezes ectópicas. A litopedia é um tipo raro de gravidez ectópica, e ocorre quando o feto de uma gravidez abdominal não reconhecida morre e se calcifica. O "bebê de pedra" resultante pode não ser detectado por décadas, e pode causar complicações futuras. A litopedia é um evento muito raro que ocorre em 0,0054% de todas as gestações. Cerca de 1,5 a 1,8% dos bebês abdominais se tornam litopédios. Existem somente cerca de 330 casos conhecidos de litopedia no mundo. Descrevemos uma litopedia que se agravou, tornando-se uma obstrução intestinal, em uma idosa de 71 anos.

Lithopedion in a geriatric patient

Abstract Lithopedion (lithos = rock and paidion = child) is a rare condition that only occurs in 1.5 to 1.8% of extrauterine pregnancies and in 0.00045% of all pregnancies. It consists of an ectopic pregnancy in which the fetus dies but cannot be reabsorbed by the mother's body, which then coats it in a calcium-rich substance.We present the case of a 77-year-old woman with an incidental diagnosis of a lithopedion, which had been retained in her left pelvis for presumably 40 years.

Embarazo abdominal calcificado con 44 años de evolución / Calcified abdominal pregnancy with 44 years of evolution

Lithopedion (litho = piedra, pedion = niño), es el término utilizado para describir un feto intrabdominal calcificado. Es un evento raro, con aproximadamente 300 casos descritos en la literatura internacional. Este artículo trata del caso de una mujer de 84 años con dolor abdominal, donde se evidenció en el examen físico, una masa abdominal de consistencia pétrea, con dimensiones de 23 cm de altura y 32 cm de longitud. El examen radiológico del abdomen reveló la presencia de imagen de densidad ósea, sugiriendo la existencia de un feto abdominal calcificado. La tomografía computarizada confirmó tratarse de un litoquelifopedion de 29-30 semanas, con aproximadamente 44 años de evolución.

Lithopedion (litho = stone, pedion = child) is the term used to describe an intra-abdominal calcified fetus. In the international literature, about 300 cases were described. In this case, an 84-year old woman was admitted with abdominal pain and the abdominal physical examination showed a mass with hard consistency with 23 cm height and 32 cm width. The abdominal x-ray examination showed the presence of bone density image suggesting an intra-abdominal calcified fetus. The computer tomography confirmed that it was a litoquelifopedion of 29-30 weeks of pregnancy and with about 44 years of evolution.

Litopedion y embarazo ectópico: presentación de un caso / Lithopedion and ectopic pregnancy: presentation of a case

El litopedion ocurre usualmente cuando un óvulo fertilizado se adhiere a cualquier lugar fuera del útero: el feto puede comenzar a crecer, pero no puede sobrevivir y muere. El sistema inmunológico de la madre eventualmente reconoce al feto como un objeto extraño y para protegerla de una posible infección, reacciona revistiendo el feto con una sustancia rica en calcio mientras ocurre la deshidratación de los tejidos. Se forma una pared mediante el depósito de calcio, el feto se convierte en un litopedion momificado. De la evaluación multidisciplinaria depende la intervención quirúrgica adecuada y la evolución favorable de la paciente. Se describir una nueva forma de presentación del litopedion coexistiendo con embarazo ectópico y mostrar la experiencia de un caso de difícil diagnóstico y manejo quirúrgico son los objetivos del estudio. Se presentó el caso de una gestante de 28 años tratada en el Servicio de Ginecología y Obstetricia del Hospital General de Bengo (República de Angola), portadora de una gravidez ectópica abdominal en proyección epigástrica (litopedion), concomitando con una gravidez de seis semanas intrauterina. Se revisó la literatura sobre el tema y se desarrolló una exposición de las características clínicas, diagnóstico, manejo y pronóstico de la enfermedad.

The Lithopedion usually occurs when a fertilized egg adheres somewhere outside the uterus; the fetus may star to grow, but it cannot survive and dies. The mother’s immunologic system eventually recognizes the fetus as a foreign body and reacts to protect her from a possible infection, covering the fetus with a calcium-rich substance while the dehydration of the tissues is taking place. Through the calcium deposits, a wall is formed, and the fetus becomes a mummified lithopedion. The adequate surgery and favorable evolution of the patient depends on the multidisciplinary evaluation. Describing a new presentation form of the lithopedion coexisting with an ectopic pregnancy and showing the experience of a case of difficult diagnosis and surgical management are the objective of the research. We present the case of a pregnant woman aged 28 years old, treated in the Service of Gynecology and Obstetrics of the General Hospital of Bengo (Republic of Angola), who presented an abdominal ectopic pregnancy in epigastric projection (lithopedion) coinciding with a six-week intrauterine pregnancy. We reviewed the literature on the theme and developed an exposition of the disease clinical characteristics, diagnosis, management and prognosis.

Old Abdominal Pregnancy Presenting as an Ovarian Neoplasm

Abdominal pregnancy is extremely rare, but even more unusual is the prolonged retention of an advanced abdominal pregnancy with lithopedion formation. The presentation of lithopedion as an ovarian tumor without a symptom has not been reported in Korea. A 63-yr-old, gravida 2, para 1, woman was referred to us with an abominal mass. Pelvic examination revealed normal postmenopaused uterus and a fetal head-sized movable hard mass in the lower abdomen. The computed tomographic scan showed a densely echogenic mass of 10-cm in diameter as an ovarian neoplasm. Laparotomy disclosed a lithopedion, of which the bones and cartilages were well preserved. There have been controversies on the treatment of lithopedion. Although some cases are stable for a long time, the morbidity increases when the operation is performed in an elderly patient. So we believe that the surgical intervention should be done as soon as possible after thorough consideration of the morbidity and the risk.

A Case of Retained Abdominal Pregnancy / 대한산부인과학회잡지

Intra-abdominal pregnancy is uncommon occurrence, constituting only 1% of all ectopic pregnancy. It is usually the result of a tubal or ovarian pregnancy that has aborted or ruptured into the peritoneal cavity. However, the complications of abdominal pregnancy can be devastating. Premature placental separation with massive hemorrhage, hypofibrinogenemia following fetal demise, and suppuration and abscess formation lead to producing maternal health risk. A perinatal mortality and maternal mortality were 85-95% and 0.5-6% respect-ively, from the world literature. Optimal obstetrical care requires early diagnosis and prompt surgical intervention. Recently, a patient presented to the St.Francisco general Hospital with a retained abdominal pregnancy of 6 years duration without complications, as discussed below.