Comparisons of Fertility Outcomes Following a Salpingectomy and a Salpingotomy with or Without Suturing for a Tubal Ectopic Pregnancy

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare fertility outcomes in patients who underwent different laparoscopic surgeries and to determine the most beneficial surgical treatment for tubal ectopic pregnancy (EP) patients who wished to become pregnant in the future. METHODS: In this retrospective study, patients aged 18–36 years, who had been diagnosed with a tubal EP in our hospital, were enrolled. Based on the treatment methods, the patients were divided into three groups, ie a salpingectomy group, a salpingotomy with suturing group and a salpingotomy without suturing group. The follow-up time for the enrolled patients was more than three years. Serum beta (β)-human chorionic gonadotropin (β-HCG) levels were monitored after surgery. The intrauterine pregnancy (IUP) rate at 12, 24 and 36 months postoperatively, and recurrent EP rate were compared. RESULTS: The median time for β-HCG level returning to normal in the salpingectomy group was much shorter than in the salpingotomy with suturing or salpingotomy without suturing groups (P < 0.001). The 12, 24 and 36-month IUP rates among the three groups were not significantly different. A recurrent EP was found in only one patient in the salpingotomy with suturing group and two patients in the salpingotomy without suturing group. CONCLUSION: In this study, we found that salpingectomy and salpingotomy with or without suturing methods reflected no significant differences in fertility outcomes for tubal EP patients.