Abdominal pregnancy following total hysterectomy.

This paper reports a case of ectopic abdominal pregnancy following total hysterectomy and reviews the literature. Pregnancy following total hysterectomy is a rare event. Ectopic pregnancy following supracervical hysterectomy can be explained in view of the remaining patent cervical canal. In cases of total hysterectomy (abdominal or vaginal) two important factors to be considered are the persistence of a fistulous tract from the vaginal apex to the peritoneum and the prolapse of the fallopian tube into the vagina, creating a patent tract for spermatozoa. As long as some ovaries remain, the possibility of ectopic pregnancy must be entertained in the differential diagnosis of acute abdomen in a female.