Evaluation of serum creatine kinase levels in ectopic pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE

To analyze whether increased serum creatine kinase (CK) levels are useful in early detection of ectopic pregnancy (EP).

DESIGN

Prospective cohort study.

SETTING

Patients in a university-based reproductive endocrinology and infertility practice.

PATIENTS

Infertile women who achieved clinical pregnancy.

INTERVENTIONS

Serum CK with isoenzymes levels were drawn after sonographic evaluation in patients achieving clinical pregnancy.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Comparison of serum CK levels in patients with EP versus those with normal and abnormal intrauterine pregnancy (IUP), both separately and together as one group.

RESULTS

There was no significant difference in mean total CK levels for patients with EP (82.25 +/- 81.39 IU/L; conversion factor to SI unit, 1.00) versus normal IUP (62.54 +/- 44.79 IU/L), abnormal IUP (55.15 +/- 3.46 IU/L), or all IUP (60.87 +/- 40.72 IU/L). The mean gestational ages were similar in all three groups: EP, 46.78 +/- 6.65 days; normal IUP, 47.56 +/- 8.29 days; and abnormal IUP, 47.86 +/- 13.30 days.

CONCLUSION

Serum CK levels do not help to predict EP for infertility patients achieving conception. To assist in preventing maternal morbidity, a more discriminative test is needed to identify this condition early in gestation.