12-Week Foetus Found Growing Inside Womans Liver: Rare Hepatic Ectopic Pregnancy Case Stuns UP Doctors

Know about the rare and potentially life-threatening condition of hepatic ectopic pregnancy, where a fertilised egg implants in the liver. Learn about its causes, risk factors, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment options.

12-Week Foetus Found Growing Inside Woman’s Liver: Rare Intrahepatic Pregnancy Stuns UP Doctors - DETAILS INSIDE

A rare case of pregnancy left the doctors in Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, flabbergasted after a routine MRI scan revealed a 12 week old unborn baby developing within the liver of a woman, not the uterus, and this is a very unusual variant of ectopic pregnancy, called intrahepatic pregnancy.

The 30-year-old female patient had experienced right-side abdominal pain and vomiting for several weeks. At the time of ordering the imaging, an MRI confirmed the shocking reality of a gestation sac that was alive and implanted deep into the right lobe of the liver, showing cardiac pulsations. She was found to be completely empty of her uterus. In the hepatic tissue, the blood vessels could be seen to be serving the foetus directly. Discovering that there was a high probability of colossal haemorrhage (bleeding), the surgeons resorted to emergency surgery to get rid of the foetus as well as some liver.

Dr K.K. Gupta, a radiologist involved in interpreting the scan, stated it was likely the first documented case of intrahepatic ectopic pregnancy in India.

What Is Liver (Hepatic) Ectopic Pregnancy?

Hepatic ectopic pregnancy, sometimes called a liver ectopic pregnancy, is a very rare and potentially deadly phenomenon when a fertilised egg implants and starts to grow not in the uterus or even in the most common ectopic places, such as the fallopian tubes, but on the liver.

Understanding Ectopic Pregnancy

As usual, a fertilised ovum goes down the fallopian tube and sticks in the uterus, where it develops into a foetus. Application: In case of an ectopic pregnancy, the egg is implanted outside the uterus. The majority of ectopic pregnancies (more than 90 per cent) take place in the fallopian tube, although in some rare instances, the pregnancy occurs in the ovary, cervix, abdomen, or even on the liver.

How Rare Is Liver Ectopic Pregnancy?

The ectopic pregnancy in the liver is very rare, and few cases have been reported in the world. This is the type of condition that is classified as abdominal ectopic pregnancy, which, in itself, comprises only between 1 and 2 per cent of all ectopic pregnancies. Among them, one of the rare places of implantation is the liver.

Causes and Risk Factors

Although the root cause of liver ectopic pregnancy is not perceived all the time, some factors may predispose the risk of any ectopic pregnancy, and they include:

History of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
Previous ectopic pregnancy
Tubal surgery or damage
Use of assisted reproductive technologies (e.g., IVF)
Smoking
Intrauterine device (IUD) use

In liver ectopic pregnancies, it is thought that the fertilised egg gets transported to the abdominal area and has gotten into contact with a blood-rich surface such as the liver and is implanted there to grow.

Symptoms

The symptoms of hepatic ectopic pregnancy are vague and can resemble other forms of ectopic pregnancy, thus making it difficult to diagnose after onset. They include:

Severe abdominal pain, especially in the upper right quadrant (near the liver)
Internal bleeding (if the liver tissue ruptures)
Shoulder pain, from referred pain due to internal bleeding
Nausea and vomiting
Signs of shock, such as fainting or dizziness

Treatment

Life-threatening complications like internal bleeding can only be prevented through urgent medical care. Treatment depends on all of the following:

Surgical removal of the ectopic tissue (usually via laparotomy)
Control of liver bleeding, which can be difficult due to the liver’s vascular nature
Methotrexate, a medication used in some ectopic pregnancies, may not be suitable due to the liver’s sensitivity