IVF Unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Meir Medical Center, Kfar Saba, Israel.
Gynecol Endocrinol. 2012 Jun;28(6):429-31. doi: 10.3109/09513590.2011.633666. Epub 2012 Mar 29.
To evaluate if monitoring patients by ultrasound (US) only during in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment is safe.
Randomized prospective study.
Patients undergoing their first IVF treatment were randomized into two groups. The ultrasound only group (study group) was monitored by US for follicle size and endometrial thickness without blood tests. In this group, only one blood test was taken before human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) injection, to ensure a safe level of estradiol (E(2)) regarding ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) risk. The control group was monitored by ultrasound plus serum estradiol and progesterone concentration at each visit.
Clinical pregnancy rate.
No differences were found between the groups in the parameters of IVF treatment, induction days, number of ampoules, E(2) level of hCG, as well as embryo quality. The clinical pregnancy rate was not statistically different between the groups, 57.5% vs. 40.0%, respectively (p = 0.25). No OHSS cases were found among the study or control groups.
Ultrasound as a single monitoring tool for IVF cycles is reliable, safe, patient friendly, and reduces treatment expenses. In an era of cost effectiveness awareness, this regimen should be considered for routine management in IVF programs.
评估在体外受精（IVF）治疗中仅通过超声（US）监测患者是否安全。
随机前瞻性研究。
接受首次 IVF 治疗的患者被随机分为两组。仅进行超声监测组（研究组）仅通过 US 监测卵泡大小和子宫内膜厚度，不进行血液检查。在该组中，仅在人绒毛膜促性腺激素（hCG）注射前进行一次血液检查，以确保雌二醇（E（2））水平安全，以降低卵巢过度刺激综合征（OHSS）的风险。对照组通过超声加每次就诊时的血清雌二醇和孕激素浓度进行监测。
临床妊娠率。
两组在 IVF 治疗的参数、诱导天数、安瓿数、hCG 的 E（2）水平以及胚胎质量方面均无差异。两组的临床妊娠率无统计学差异，分别为 57.5%和 40.0%（p=0.25）。研究组和对照组均未发现 OHSS 病例。
US 作为 IVF 周期的单一监测工具是可靠、安全、对患者友好的，并降低了治疗费用。在成本效益意识时代，这种方案应考虑用于 IVF 计划的常规管理。
