Is the human chorionic gonadotropin secreted by ectopic trophoblast different from that in normal intrauterine pregnancies?

Abstract

To determine whether different isoforms of hCG are secreted by trophoblast tissue from ectopic pregnancy (EP). Retrospective study of surgically confirmed EPs compared with normal pregnancies. Teaching hospital in South Africa. One hundred patients with EPs and 120 patients with normal pregnancies. Isoforms of hCG were measured by specific immunoassays, lectin binding, and examination of disappearance rates of hCG after surgical clearance of EP. There were no obvious differences between the two types of pregnancy apart from a lower binding of beta-subunit immunoactivity to ricin 120. No clinically useful diagnostic measures to distinguish hCG from normal and EPs were found. No obvious differences were found in the isoforms of hCG between the two types of pregnancy using these methods.