Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36407144›Full record

ArticleCureus2022

A 10-Year Review of Methotrexate Treatment for Ectopic Pregnancy in a Malaysian Tertiary Referral Hospital.

Ahmad Akram Omar, Lua Khai Leng, Aruku Naidu Apana, Adibah Ibrahim, Rahimah Abdul Rahim, Najib Majdi Yaacob, Engku Ismail Engku-Husna

Open access · diamondAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cureus, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
0.6field-weighted citation impact, top 30% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 3 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Effectiveness of single-dose methotrexate in the treatment of ectopic pregnancy: a retrospective study.Revista brasileira de ginecologia e obstetricia : revista da Federacao Brasileira das Sociedades de Ginecologia e Obstetricia · 2026
    Article
  2. Article
  3. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Ahmad Akram OmarDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian, MYS.
Lua Khai LengDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian, MYS.
Aruku Naidu ApanaDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun, Ipoh, MYS.
Adibah IbrahimDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian, MYS.
Rahimah Abdul RahimDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian, MYS.
Najib Majdi YaacobBiostatistics and Research Methodology Unit, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian, MYS.
Engku Ismail Engku-HusnaDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian, MYS.
Universiti Sains Malaysia · MYHospital Universiti Sains Malaysia · MY

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background Ectopic pregnancy was recorded as the fourth principal cause of maternal death in Malaysia in 2019. Early diagnosis and use of methotrexate treatment proved to be safe and effective alternatives to surgical treatment. This study investigates the success rate of methotrexate treatment for ectopic pregnancy in a tertiary hospital in Malaysia. Methods This was a retrospective review of 73 patients with ectopic pregnancies treated with methotrexate according to a single-dose protocol from January 2009 until November 2019. The diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy was made using a combination of transvaginal scan and serial serum β-hCG levels. Their clinical and demographic data were reviewed. Serum β-hCG levels were measured at pre- and post-treatment to determine the rate of successful resolution. Results The overall success rate was 87.7% (64/73 patients) with methotrexate treatment. Fifty-six patients (76.7%) were successfully treated with a single dose of methotrexate, and eight patients (11.0%) required a second dose of methotrexate. There was no relation between socio-demographic, pre-treatment β-hCG levels, ectopic mass size, and treatment efficacy. Smaller size of ectopic pregnancy (adjusted OR=29.23; 95% CI: 2.69, 317.90; P=0.006) and absence of free fluid at the pouch of Douglas (POD) (adjusted OR=27.31; 95% CI: 2.84, 262.32; P=0.004) was found to increase the likelihood of overall treatment success. Absence of fetal cardiac activities was found to increase the likelihood of first-dose methotrexate treatment success (OR=10.20; 95% CI: 1.93, 53.79; P=0.006). Conclusions Early diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy may reduce morbidity and mortality. In carefully selected cases, methotrexate treatment has been proven to be cost-effective and avoided risks associated with surgery and anaesthesia.

Indexed as

ectopic pregnancyfetal cardiac activityserum β-hcgsingle-dose methotrexate protocoltransvaginal sonography

Identifiers

PMID36407144
PMCPMC9671276
OpenAlexW4306648553

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.