Power Doppler endometrial evaluation as a method for the prognosis of embryo implantation in an ICSI program.

PURPOSE

The objective of the present study was to evaluate power Doppler of the endometrium as a parameter for the prognosis of embryo implantation in patients who underwent intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).

METHODS

The power Doppler was performed on a transverse section at the level of the uterine fundus on the day of human chorionic gonadotropin in 185 patients who submitted to ovarian stimulation for ICSI. The endometrium was divided into four equal quadrants and classified as grade I, II, III, or IV according to the visualization of the power Doppler in the quadrants. The color Doppler signal was considered to be positive when it reached at least the basal layer of the endometrium.

RESULTS

Age, number of days of stimulation, number of follicles > or = 16 mm, number of oocytes in metaphase II retrieved, and fertilization rate did not differ patients with the four different types of endometrial grades. Endometrial thickness and the pulsatility index of uterine artery also were similar for the four grades. The rate of embryo implantation also did not differ significantly (P = 0.53) among groups: grade I = 10%; grade II = 11.6%; grade III = 15.4%; grade IV = 10.5%. The pregnancy rates were grade I = 25%; grade II = 29.7%; grade III = 37.5%; grade IV = 23.8% (P = 0.44).

CONCLUSIONS

Our data demonstrate that isolated evaluation of endometrial vascularization with power Doppler is not an important factor for the prediction of pregnancy in an ICSI program.