A classic case suggestive of an unruptured ectopic pregnancy with unexpected finding of a unilateral dermoid cyst intraoperatively: A case report

Abstract

Acute lower abdominal pain or pelvic pain is a common presenting complaint in women of reproductive age, which can be accounted for by numerous aetiologies. The presentation of lower abdominal pain with associated findings of an adnexal mass on transvaginal ultrasonography and positive beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (β-hCG) (serum and urine) in a sexually active woman of reproductive age is an ectopic pregnancy until proven otherwise. Here, we present a classic case suggestive of an unruptured ectopic pregnancy, with an unexpected finding of a unilateral dermoid cyst intraoperatively in a 33-year-old woman. Findings presented herein suggest that practitioners in our local setting should evaluate patients carefully, and consider neoplasms as a possible source of β-hCG production in sexually active women of reproductive age who present with subacute lower abdominal pain, identified adnexal mass on ultrasonography and positive serum or urine β-hCG readings.