International Scholarly Research Network
ISRN Obstetrics and Gynecology
Volume 2011, Article ID 925316, 5 pages
doi:10.5402/2011/925316
Research Article
Incidence, Management, and Outcome of Molar Pregnancies at a
Tertiary Care Hospital in Quetta, Pakistan
Mahrukh Fatima, Pashtoon Murtaza Kasi, Shahnaz Naseer Baloch, Masoom Kassi,
Shah Muhammad Marri, and Mahwash Kassi
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Bolan Medical College, 8-13/36 Kasi Road, Quetta, Balochistan 87300, Pakistan
Correspondence should be addressed to Pashtoon Murtaza Kasi, pashtoon.kasi@gmail.com
Received 25 June 2011; Accepted 15 August 2011
Academic Editors: G. Dohr and M. Ku¨hnert
Copyright © 2011 Mahrukh Fatima et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution
License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly
cited.
Molar pregnancies represent a significant burden of disease on the spectrum of gestational trophoblastic diseases. The incidence
appears to be higher in women from South Asia. The purpose of our prospective study was to determine the incidence,
presentation, and outcomes of all molar pregnancies at our institution. During the study period, there were a total of 16,625
patients admitted to our department; out of whom 85 patients were diagnosed with a molar pregnancy. Vaginal bleeding was the
commonest symptom (94.2%); theca lutein cysts were noted in 39% of the cases. Suction, dilatation, and curettage were noted
to be the preferred method in almost all cases; hysterectomy was done in 12 (14.1%) patients. Single-agent chemotherapy was
employed in high-risk patients and was well tolerated. Mean followup for these patients was 5.7months (range 1–24 months).
None of these patients developed persistent trophoblastic disease, invasive mole, or choriocarcinoma during the follow-up period.
1. Introduction
Molar pregnancies represent a significant burden of disease
on the spectrum of gestational trophoblastic diseases. The
incidence appears to be higher in women from South Asia,
including a trend towards recurrent molar pregnancies [1, 2].
This higher trend in some populations has been attributed to
“nutritional and socioeconomic status” [3].
The purpose of our study was to review all the molar
pregnancies at our institution. Our specific aims were then
to determine the incidence, the associated morbidity, presen-
tation, risk factors, and complications noted at our institu-
tion. This data would really be helpful in the context of the
city which serves as the tertiary referral center for all the cases
from the largest province of the country of Pakistan.
2. Materials and Methods
Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the Depart-
ment of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Bolan Medical College,
Quetta, Pakistan, as well as the local ethical committee
for research, and the research conducted was performed
according to the Declaration of Helsinki.
The study was a prospective study carried out at the
largest tertiary care government hospital in the city of Quetta
in Balochistan, the largest province in Pakistan. Quetta is
a metropolitan city and the capital of the province. People
belonging to different castes live here along with many ref-
ugees who were from the adjacent war-torn country of
Afghanistan and migrated during the early 1980s and 1990s.
This represents one of the major teaching/tertiary care cen-
ters for the province.
Due to lack of computerized medical records, we started
our study from 1994 and were able to collect data for all
cases that needed EPH in Gynae units I and II at Sandeman
Medical College Hospital, Quetta, Pakistan, over period of
2 years from September 25th 1994 to September 1st 1996.
This work was done as part of thesis for Dr. F. Mahrukh’s
FCPS degree and now is being sent for publication after
completion of her degree. Furthermore, records after transfer
of the gynecology department to another institution were not
available for review.
2 ISRN Obstetrics and Gynecology
During this period, there were a total of 16,625 patients
admitted to the both units of obstetrics and gynecology at
our institution. 85 patients were diagnosed and confirmed
with histopathological findings to have a molar pregnancy.
Following identification of these patients, data regarding
their basic demographics, risk factors, associated complica-
tions and followup were then collected and entered into a
database developed in Microsoft Access 2000. An attempt
to follow up all 85 patients was done for at least 2 years
from the time of initial surgical evacuation. This data was
then imported into the Statistical Package for Social Sciences
version 14.0 (SPSS Inc, Chicago, Ill, USA) for further
analysis.
3. Results and Discussion
As noted above, 85 patients (0.51%) were diagnosed with a
molar pregnancy from a total of 16,625 patients admitted to
the institution. This translates into an incidence of ∼5.1 per
1,000 patients admitted to the institution.
In majority of the patients, the classical presentation was
that of delayed menstrual periods suggestive of pregnancy
and vaginal bleeding. When combined with findings of an
out of proportion enlargement of the uterus and absent
fetal heart tones, the diagnosis of a molar pregnancy was
suspected. This was then confirmed by measuring the serum
beta-hCG (β-hCG) and sonography. All sonograms were
performed by author F. Mahrukh herself and were noted
to be helpful in aiding the diagnosis in 79.5% of the cases.
Whereas, β-hCG was noted to be elevated in all patients and
was more than 50,000MIU/mL in 85.8% of the cases.
Table 1 outlines the incidence of hydatiform mole in re-
lation to parity and gravidity along with other associated
factors.
Although hydatidiform mole is more common in prim-
igravidas, in our study most patients were multigravida.
Among 85 cases of HM, the range of parity was from 0
to 17. Gravida above 5 apparently is considered as a poor
prognostic sign.
Excessive uterine size is one of the classic signs of HM.
As outlined in Table 1, in our study more than 70% of cases
had size of uterus 4–12 weeks greater than gestational
age; and more than 17% cases had size of uterus more
than 12 weeks greater. “Excessive uterine size is usually
associated with markedly elevated levels of human chorionic
gonadotropin (hCG) from trophoblastic overgrowth” [1].
Likewise, excessive uterine size was noted in 21/74 (28%) of
patients at the New England Trophoblastic Center [4].
Similarly, theca lutein cysts develop almost exclusively in
patients with very high βhCG levels which induce ovarian
hyper stimulation and produce bilateral multilocular ovarian
cysts. In this study, cysts were found in about 39% of cases
out of which 17.64% patients had cysts greater than 6 cms
in size. They usually produce symptoms like pelvic pressure
and discomfort in many patients. In most of the cases, they
regress spontaneously within 8 weeks. Depending on how
the diagnosis of molar pregnancy was made (clinical versus
sonographic), the incidence of theca lutein has been quoted
to be between 20 and 46% of patients with molar pregnancy
[5–7]. Since the advent and frequent use of ultrasound, larger
sizes of theca lutein cysts and larger uterine sizes have become
less common [8]. Even though in our subset of patients,
the cysts were present in about 39% of the cases, none of
them needed emergency surgery for torsion. This is similar
to another series from Turkey, where only 1 patient needed
emergency surgery for torsion [9].
Vaginal bleeding was the commonest symptom (94.2%);
apart from amenorrhea which was present in all the cases.
This was also noted to be the commonest symptom by a
large series by Goldstein where it was present in 97% of
their patients; and also in a series from China were it was
present in 83.2% of the patients with hydatidiform mole
[10, 11]. Other signs/symptoms included hyperemesis and
preeclampsia. Likewise, preeclampsia and hyperemesis were
reported in 12 to 27 percent and 20 to 26 percent of patients
and occurred almost exclusively in those with markedly
elevated human chorionic gonadotropin values and excessive
uterine size [3]. Hyperthyroidism was noted in 1 of our
patients. 5 patients were diagnosed on routine sonographic
examination.
These patients were then followed up to see the manage-
ment they received and their outcomes. Suction, dilatation,
and curettage were noted to be the preferred method of
management in 62 (72.9%) of the cases. 12 women under-
went an elective hysterectomy as primary therapy for intact
hydatidiform mole (HM); 5 of whom also underwent with
bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (BSO) and 4 with unilateral
salpingo-oophorectomy. All these patients were noted to
be older than 40 and had complete their family planning.
In patients who underwent salpingo-oophrectomies, reason
was noted to be the large size of associated ovarian cyst on
one and/or both sides.
Both suction and sharp curettage specimens were sub-
mitted to the department of pathology for histopathological
examination and confirmed the diagnosis in all of our cases.
Persistence of uterine bleeding as a complication was
noted in 73 (85.9%) of the patients; with it persisting in
13 (15.3%) patients for more than 2 weeks. The need for
transfusion of packed red blood cells (PRBCs) was noted in
all patients; with a mean of 2.58 units of PRBCs (Range 1–6).
Postmolar trophoblastic disease was diagnosed on the
basis of a rise of βhCG after the initial plateau or with the
detection of metastases. 2 patients in our study period de-
veloped postmolar trophoblastic disease after complete mo-
lar pregnancy.
After their initial management, patients were noted to
be classified into low risk or high risk group based on
Goldstein’s Mole Prognosis Scoring system [12] and received
prophylactic single-agent chemotherapy with methotrexate
if they fell into the high risk group (score of more than
4). “Several investigators have reported that prophylactic
chemotherapy at the time of molar evacuation reduces the
frequency of postmolar tumor [12, 13]. Kim and colleagues
reported in a prospective randomized trial that prophy-
lactic Methotrexate reduced the incidence of postmolar
tumor from 47 to 14% in patients with high-risk complete
mole [14]. Prophylactic chemotherapy may be particularly
ISRN Obstetrics and Gynecology 3
Table 1: Basic Demographics, incidence of hydatidiform mole, and associated factors.
Number of cases %
(1) Hydatidiform mole 85
0.51%
∼5 per 1,000
patients
admitted
(2) Monthly income (Rupees)
<5,000 (∼ $60) 70 82.4%
5,000–10,000 ($60–120) 14 16.5%
>10,000 ($120) 1 1.1%
(3) Parity
0 31 36.5%
1–4 29 34.1%
5-17 25 29.4%
(4) Size of luteal cysts
Less than 6 cm 18 21.2%
≥6 cm 15 17.6%
Not detected 52 61.2%
(5) Size of the uterus
Corresponding to the gestational age 10 11.7%
4–12 weeks more than the gestational age 60 70.6%
>12 weeks 15 17.7%
(6) Presenting signs/symptoms
Amenorrhea 85 100%
Vaginal Bleeding 80 94.2%
Hyperemesis 8 9.4%
Preeclempsia 10 11.8%
(7) Time from their last menstrual period (LMP) (weeks)
≤8 4 4.7%
9–12 22 25.9%
13–20 51 48.2%
>20 18 21.2%
(8) Baseline anemia 58 68.2%
(9) Hyperthyroidism 1 1.2%
beneficial in patients with high-risk complete moles when
hormonal followup is either unavailable or unreliable.” [15]
In patients at our institution, 70 (82.4%) of the patients
fell into high risk group; and given the considerable lack of
followup of patients presenting at our institution alongside
the fact that a bulk of them are Afghan refugees, single-agent
prophylactic chemotherapy with Methotrexate is usually
employed at our institution if patients fall in the high risk
group.
Serial measurement of serum βhCG levels is used to
monitor the behavior of resident trophoblastic tissue after
surgical evacuation of hydatidiform mole. Various terms are
used in this context. A plateau is a pattern where there is
neither decrease nor an increase >10% or 50% of serum
levels over 3 weeks on the basis of three or four consecutive
weekly measurement over 3 weeks. Similarly, a rise is defined
as increasing levels on the basis of two or more consecutive
weekly measurements. Persistent is when elevation of BhCG
is found after 16 weeks of evacuation. Sharp regression is
when levels immediately fall after evacuation; while slow
regression is when serum levels have regress slowly to normal
within 8 to 9 weeks from uterine evacuation. In our study
population as noted in Table 2, most of the patients in the
high risk group who received single-agent chemotherapy
after surgical evacuation had a sharp regression curve while
most of the patients in group B had a slow fall over 6–8 weeks.
Followup of these patients was attempted for a period
of at least 2 years from the time of surgical evacuation.
Mean followup for these patients was 5.7 months (range
1–24 months). None of these patients developed persistent
trophoblastic disease, invasive mole, or choriocarcinoma
during the follow-up period. Even though, an attempt was
made to follow these patients for 2 years, at government
hospitals and due to the fact that a bulk of these patients are
4 ISRN Obstetrics and Gynecology
Table 2: Diagnosis, management of HM, and associated complications.
Number of cases %
(1) Diagnostic utility
Sonographic findings 73 79.5%
βhCG 85 100%
Histopathology 85 100%
(2) βhCG levels (MIU/mL)
<50,000 12 14.1%
50,000–100,000 53 62.4%
>100,000 20 23.5%
(3) Treatment modality
Suction/sharp curettage 62 72.9%
Oxytocin/curettage 10 11.8%
Hysterectomy 12 14.1%
Prostaglandins/curettage 1 1.2%
(4) Persistence of uterine bleeding after evacuation
None 12 14.1%
Up to 1 week 60 70.6%
2–3 weeks 12 14.1%
≥4 weeks 1 1.2%
(5) Need for blood transfusion 85 100%
(6) Fever 22 25.8%
(7) Sepsis 2 2.4%
(8) Respiratory insufficiency 1 1.2%
(9) Postmolar trophoblastic disease 2 2.4%
(10) Pattern of βhCG regression high risk group
Sharp regression 66 94.3%
Slow regression 2 2.9%
Plateau 1 1.4%
Rising 1 1.4%
Low risk group
Sharp regression 3 20%
Slow regression 12 80%
refugees, followup is a challenging task. This is also a factor in
the Government hospitals in the rest of the country as well,
and would remain a continuous ongoing challenge [16].
4. Conclusions
(i) In our study, thus we have identified not only the in-
cidence of molar pregnancies at our institution which
serves as the largest tertiary care facility for the entire
province of Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan,
but also highlighted the significant morbidity, man-
agement strategies, and associated complications.
(ii) Limitation of our study includes limited followup for
some of these patients, which as noted would remain
a continuous ongoing challenge for the tertiary care
hospital, since it serves not only the city but es-
sentially the entire province and neighboring Af-
ghanistan.
(iii) Single-agent chemotherapy is well tolerated in pa-
tients classified as high risk. As noted earlier by Gold-
stein et al., prophylactic chemotherapy may be partic-
ularly beneficial in patients with high-risk complete
moles when hormonal followup is either unavailable
or unreliable. Given our institutional setting and the
demographics, we would advocate the prophylactic
chemotherapy for the high risk group since followup
is not entirely reliable.
Acknowledgments
The authers are deeply indebted to the department of Ob-
stetrics and Gynecology for their constant support and
encouragement. The authors declare that they have no
conflict of interests. Initial part of this paper was done as
part of the FCPS dissertation of Dr. Mahrukh’s FCPS degree
but has not been published in any form in any journal or
ISRN Obstetrics and Gynecology 5
publication. They are also very grateful to the hard work
put in by Maaz Khan Afghan and Najia Kasi for helping re-
compile parts of the thesis earlier and their help in some of
the data entry.
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