ABSTRACT

Ectopic pregnancy is the leading cause of pregnancy-related death during the first trimester. Tubal ovum implantation is called tubal pregnancy. Tubal pregnancy may cause sudden death because of rupture and bleeding into abdominal cavity. These kinds of sudden death are rare. Difficulties in diagnosis are frequent. Especially, ectopic pregnancy must be suggested at sudden death of young women.

22-years-old woman with abdominal pain, who went under a curettage 3-4 weeks ago, died on the way to the hospital. In autopsy, there was 2500 cc hemorrhage in abdominal cavity, uterin cavity was empty, great hemotama with rupture area in right tubal cavity was found. At the histopathologic examina-tion of tubal mass specimens, chrorionic villi were seen in the coagulum and tubal pregnancy was determined.

Clinic and autopsy findings were evaluated together and the importance of ectopic pregnancy on forensic medicine was dis-cussed.

Keywords: Ectopic pregnancy, tubal rupture, bleeding, sudden death, autopsy.