OBJECTIVE

To investigate the association between the expressions of leukemia inhibitory factor and the occurrence of tubal pregnancy.

DESIGN

Prospective observational study.

SETTING

University-based obstetrics and gynecology hospital.

PATIENT(S): Thirty women undergoing salpingectomy for tubal pregnancy and 30 nonpregnant patients with benign uterine or appendix disease.

INTERVENTION(S): Oviduct tissues with ectopic gestation were separated into implantation sites and nonimplantation sites. Samples of ampullary fallopian tubes during midsecretory phase were collected as control groups. Immunohistochemical and Western blot analysis were performed.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): The differences of leukemia inhibitory factor expression between the implantation and nonimplantation sites of oviduct tissues and the normal and chronically inflamed fallopian tubes.

RESULT(S): The expression of leukemia inhibitory factor in the implantation group is significantly higher than that in the nonimplantation group or in the normal group. A statistically significant difference was also found for leukemia inhibitory factor between the chronic inflammation group and the normal group by Western blot analysis but no difference between the chronic inflammation group and the implantation group or the nonimplantation group.

CONCLUSION(S): Leukemia inhibitory factor might be one of the reasons that cause patients with salpingitis to be more susceptible to tubal pregnancy and might be involved in the implantation process of tubal pregnancy.