hydatid mole, an intrauterine neoplastic mass of grapelike enlarged chorionic villi that occurs in approximately 1 in 1500 pregnancies in the United States and eight times more frequently in some Asian countries. Molar pregnancies are more common in older and younger women than in those between 20 and 40 years of age. The cause of the degenerative disorder is not known. It may be the result of a primary ovular defect, an intrauterine abnormality, or a nutritional deficiency. Also called hydatidiform mole, vesicular mole. See also trophoblastic cancer. ▪ OBSERVATIONS: Characteristic signs are extreme nausea, uterine bleeding, anemia, hyperthyroidism, an unusually large uterus for the duration of pregnancy, absence of fetal heart sounds, edema, and high blood pressure. Diagnostic measures include ultrasonography, amniography, and measurement of chorionic gonadotropin level in the blood. In most cases the mole is discovered when abortion is threatened or in progress. ▪ INTERVENTIONS: Oxytocin may be used to stimulate evacuation of a mole that is not spontaneously aborted, and curettage is usually performed several days later to be certain that no molar tissue remains in the uterus. ▪ PATIENT CARE CONSIDERATIONS: It is important that pregnancy be avoided for at least 1 year and that assays for chorionic gonadotropin be performed to monitor for the risk of development of gestational trophoblastic disease.
