A 30-year-old woman presents with intermittent bleeding per vaginum. She has had three prior normal vaginal deliveries without any associated complications. On examination, she is anemic. Her abdomen is distended with a uterine mass corresponding to 34 weeks gestation. She does not give any history of amenorrhea but her periods had been irregular. Ultrasound abdomen showed a large intrauterine mass with cystic spaces. Serum and urine beta-hCG were negative.
Following a persistence from the gynecologist to retest the same serum sample, the laboratory decides to perform the test with a dilution of the serum sample. The diluted serum gave a positive result of beta-hCG at 1,60,000 mIU/l. Hysterectomy was performed. The uterine mass was confirmed as a partial mole by histopathology. What phenomenon does the test results exhibit? Source: Kunwar S et al. J South Asian Feder Obst Gynae 2014.
