Anandakumar C, Lee C S, Wong Y C, Chia D, Rodenburg A, Ratnam S S
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, National University Hospital, Singapore.
Asia Oceania J Obstet Gynaecol. 1992 Jun;18(2):107-13. doi: 10.1111/j.1447-0756.1992.tb00309.x.
Forty patients suspected to have ectopic pregnancy by transvaginal ultrasonography had surgery. 77.5% were confirmed to have ectopic pregnancy and 10% had other abnormal pelvic findings. The transvaginal approach appears to enable us to diagnose ectopic pregnancy at an earlier date, with the earliest diagnosis made at 4 weeks 0 days of amenorrhoea. In cases of confirmed ectopic pregnancy, the presence of a complex adnexal mass was the most common feature seen on transvaginal ultrasound and its predictability of ectopic pregnancy is enhanced by a concomitant finding of an empty uterus (95%) or free fluid in the Pouch of Douglas (94%) in the presence of a positive hCG test. The significance of transvaginal ultrasound features, and the advantages of transvaginal over transabdominal ultrasound, are discussed.
