Are Serum Levels of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor a Marker for the Early Diagnosis of Ectopic Pregnancy? (UNIFESP)

December 15, 2010 updated by: Federal University of São Paulo

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) concentrations in women with ectopic pregnancy (EP), abnormal intrauterine pregnancy (aIUP) and normal intrauterine pregnancy (nIUP).

METHODS: This was a prospective, case-control study comparing serum VEGF concentrations among 72 women with ectopic pregnancy (n=35), abnormal IUP (n=15) and normal IUP (n=22) matched for gestational age. For the determination of serum VEGF concentration a solid phase sandwich ELISA was used. Patients were stratified according to serum VEGF above or below 200pg/mL.

RESULTS: The serum level of VEGF was significantly higher in women with ectopic pregnancy (median 211.1 pg/mL; range 5 - 1017.0 pg/mL) than in women with normal IUP (median 5 pg/mL; range 5- 310.6 pg/mL) P < 0.0001. Serum VEGF concentrations did not show any statistically significant difference between women with aIUP (median 231.9 pg/mL range 5 - 813.7 pg /mL ) and EP (median 211.1 pg/mL range 5 - 1017.0 pg/mL). When cut-off concentrations of 200 pg/mL for VEGF were used, a nIUP could be distinguished from an unviable (EP and aIUP) with a sensitive of 53%, specificity of 90.9%, a positive predictive value of 92.9% and a negative predictive value of 46.5%..

CONCLUSIONS: Serum VEGF could not distinguish between an EP and an aIUP. However, serum VEGF concentrations above 200 pg/mL could discriminate a nIUP from an unviable pregnancy (EP or aIUP) with a PPV of 92.9%.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Study Type

Observational

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Brazil
      • São Paulo, Brazil
        • Federal University of São Paulo

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

15 years to 40 years (Child, Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

N/A

Genders Eligible for Study

Female

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

ectopic pregnancy abnormal intrauterine pregnancy normal intrauterine pregnancy

Description

Inclusion Criteria:The inclusion criterion was the presence at transvaginal ultrasound of an extraovarian adnexal mass in women with a suspected ectopic pregnancy (amenorrhea, bleeding and pain) with positive test for beta-hCG.

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Exclusion Criteria:The exclusion criterion was non-tubal ectopic pregnancy (cervical, cesarean scar, ovarian, and abdominal).

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Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Observational Models: Case-Control
  • Time Perspectives: Prospective

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Ectopic pregnancy, extra-uterine pregnancy
Ectopic pregnancy, control
Abnormal intrauterine pregnancy

Collaborators and Investigators

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Sponsor

Federal University of São Paulo

Publications and helpful links

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General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

December 15, 2010

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 15, 2010

First Posted (Estimate)

December 16, 2010

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

December 16, 2010

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 15, 2010

Last Verified

December 1, 2007

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • JEJ-060866

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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