The value of pelvic ultrasound in the diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy.

Early recognition of ectopic pregnancy may be a diagnostic challenge despite the availability of a multitude of diagnostic procedures. Patient risk is particularly serious if a false-negative diagnosis postpones surgical exploration. On the other hand, exploratory surgery or laparoscopy should not be chosen hastily as the initial procedure in the evaluation of patients with suspected extrauterine gestation. A more conservative approach can usually be instituted prior to exposing the patient to operative and anesthetic risks. In recent years, ultrasonography has become one of the most important noninvasive diagnostic aids in obstetrics and gynecology. Despite the extensive literature related to ultrasound in the diagnosis of pelvic pathology, its use as a nonoperative diagnostic tool in the evaluation of patients with suspected ectopic pregnancy has been scarcely reported. Our intentions of this study were directed toward examining the diagnostic usefulness of pelvic ultrasonography in the clinical evaluation of patients with suspected ectopic pregnancy.