ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical trends of complete hydatidiform mole at the King Fahad Hospital (KFH), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: Medical record review of 71 patients admitted to KFH for the primary management of complete hydatidiform mole (CHM) during the period 1984-1995 was performed, and clinical trends were identified. RESULTS: During the study period, 48,000 live births occurred, and a total of 71 patients were admitted for management of CHM; the incidence of CHM was 1:676 live births. The mean gestational age at molar evacuation was 13.3 weeks, and 54.4% of patients were diagnosed in the first trimester. At the time of presentation, excessive uterine size, anemia, hyperemesis and preeclampsia were present in 20 (28%), 11 (15.5%), 9 (12.6%) and 1 (1.4%) patient, respectively. Persistent gestational trophoblastic tumor developed in 32 (45.1%) patients. CONCLUSION: A higher proportion of our CHM patients developed persistent gestational trophoblastic tumors when compared with those in North American studies. CHM was diagnosed earlier in pregnancy in Saudi Arabia at our hospital during the past decade, and the patients frequently did not present with the classic signs and symptoms of complete mole.
