Condition Specific Radiology: Heterotopic Pregnancy

OVERVIEW

This page is dedicated to covering how a heterotopic pregnancy will appear on different types of imaging studies.

A heterotopic pregnancy refers to the presence of both a normal intrauterine pregnancy AND an ectopic pregnancy (image source).

BASIC CHARACTERISTICS

Fundamentally, heterotopic pregnancy refers to the presence of both an intrauterine pregnancy AND an ectopic pregnancy

Here are some general features of this condition that might be appreciated across modalities:

Evidence of intrauterine pregnancy: gestational sack, yolk sack, embryo within the uterus.
Evidence of ectopic pregnancy: gestational sack, yolk sack, embryo outside the uterus.

ULTRASOUND

Evidence of both an intrauterine and ectopic pregnancy is required to diagnose a heterotopic pregnancy. This is often going to be detected on transabdominal/transvaginal ultrasound.

Click on the thumbnails below to see examples of a gestational sac within the uterus (transabdominal ultrasound);

Example 1

Example 2

Click on the thumbnails below to see examples of an ectopic pregnancy within the uterus (transvaginal ultrasound);

Example 1

Example 2

Page Updated: 02.19.2018