{
  "abstract": "Objective: To evaluate serum progesterone combined with transvaginal ultrasound for distinguishing ectopic pregnancy (EP) in patients with pregnancy of unknown location (PUL), and to assess diagnostic efficacy across risk stratifications.\n\nMethods: Internally unvalidated analysis included 148 PUL patients (January 2022–December 2025). Final diagnosis by surgical pathology or follow-up divided patients into EP (49) and non-EP (99; intrauterine pregnancy or natural regression). All underwent initial transvaginal ultrasound to confirm PUL. The prediction point was the 48-hour reassessment. Predictors were abnormal adnexal findings on follow-up ultrasound at 48 h, serum progesterone, and 48-hour β-hCG results available at that visit. The intended application is risk re-stratification and follow-up planning at 48-hour reassessment, not replacement of surgical/histopathological diagnosis or immediate treatment. Progesterone and β-hCG were measured; groups were compared. Logistic regression screened independent predictors. ROC curves evaluated single and combined indicators. We assessed if progesterone improved the ultrasound + M6NP model, with M6NP defined as M6 excluding initial progesterone.\n\nResults: The EP group had lower serum progesterone, initial β-hCG, 48-hour β-hCG change rate, and endometrial thickness, and higher abnormal adnexal ultrasound detection (P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis showed log progesterone, abnormal adnexal ultrasound, previous EP, and M6NP high-risk classification (≥5%) were independent predictors (P < 0.05). All AUC values are apparent/in-sample estimates. Ultrasound + M6NP had an apparent AUC of 0.913; adding progesterone increased it to 0.947. In the M6NP high-risk subgroup, progesterone plus ultrasound had an apparent AUC of 0.945 and specificity of 91.67%. Because the model was developed and evaluated in the same dataset without bootstrap or internal validation, estimates are preliminary and require external validation.\n\nConclusion: Internally unvalidated analysis, serum progesterone combined with transvaginal ultrasound was associated with improved apparent diagnostic accuracy for EP in PUL, especially within M6NP risk stratification. These estimates are apparent/in-sample, preliminary, and hypothesis-generating.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Ultrasound, Wuhu Fanchang District People’s Hospital , ,"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 3,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Leilei Liu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Yao Cai"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Tingting Wang"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/86vv3sgs199ph.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3389/fmed.2026.1949190",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13719595/?tool=EBI",
  "id": "86vv3sgs199ph",
  "issns": [
    "2296-858X"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13719595",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Original Research"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2739|Ectopic Pregnancy Diagnosis and Management"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7222743945",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13719595/pdf/?tool=EBI",
  "pmcid": "PMC13719595",
  "pmid": "42964179",
  "published": "2026-10-16",
  "publisher": "Frontiers Media SA",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/86vv3sgs199ph.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-31T12:21:37Z",
      "native_id": "PMC:PMC13719595",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13719595"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-02T12:23:32Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13719595",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2026.1949190"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2739|Ectopic Pregnancy Diagnosis and Management",
      "subfield": "epidemiology-public-health"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Incremental diagnostic value of serum progesterone combined with transvaginal ultrasound in differentiating early ectopic pregnancy: a single-center real-world study",
  "title_text": "Incremental diagnostic value of serum progesterone combined with transvaginal ultrasound in differentiating early ectopic pregnancy: a single-center real-world study",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-03T12:20:38Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/86vv3sgs199ph",
  "venue": "Frontiers in medicine",
  "versions": []
}