Simons M E, Cooperberg P L, Graham M F
Can Assoc Radiol J. 1986 Mar;37(1):9-12.
To study the diagnostic accuracy of real-time ultrasonography in the evaluation of ectopic pregnancy, the case records and preoperative sonograms of 57 patients with surgically proven ectopic pregnancy were reviewed. Some 81% of these patients had abnormal sonograms. However, the ultrasonographic findings were often nonspecific and in only 8.7% of the cases was an ectopic fetal heart beat demonstrated. Two patients in this series had coexistent intrauterine and extrauterine gestations. Other findings such as an adnexal mass, an empty uterus, fluid in the cul-de-sac, and a decidual reaction in the uterus are all suggestive of an ectopic pregnancy but can be seen in other conditions. The presence of a normal intrauterine gestation practically rules out the possibility of ectopic pregnancy.
