Pelvic ultrasound (transvaginal)

Background

• Also known as endovaginal ultrasound
• Used to evaluate female reproductive organs including uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, cervix, and vagina

Indications

General

• Pelvic pain
• Abnormal pelvic or abdominal exam

Uterus

• Abnormal uterine bleeding
• Fibroids
• IUD placement confirmation

Ovaries and adnexa

• Ovarian cyst
• Ovarian torsion
• Ovarian masses
• Tubo-ovarian abscesses
• Hydrosalpinx

Pregnancy

• Confirm intrauterine pregnancy
• Gestational dating
• Fetal monitoring and surveillance
• Evaluation of placenta
• Spontaneous abortion
• Intrauterine fetal demise
• Ectopic pregnancy
• Heterotopic pregnancy
• Molar pregnancy

Technique

• Probe and transducer
  • Endocavitary probe (high frequency, low penetration)
  • Probe "dot" stays on left side of ultrasound screen
    • Corresponds with anterior structures (if probe marker held at 12:00) and right-sided structures (if probe marker held at 9:00)

• Patient positioning
  • Lithotomy position
  • Gently advance probe into vaginal canal
  • May be more comfortable for patient to insert probe into vagina herself

Findings

• Endometrial stripe: Measured from thickest echogenic area (from one basal endometrial interface to the other, including canal)
  • Pre-menopausal:
    • During menstruation: 2-4mm
    • Early proliferative phase: 5-7mm
    • Late proliferative phase: 11mm
    • Secretory phase: 7-16mm
    • After D&C or SAB: >5mm
      • Consider retained POC if thicker
  • Post-menopausal:
    • With vaginal bleeding: <5mm
    • Without vaginal bleeding: <11mm

• Adnexa:
  • Simple ovarian cyst: <2.5-3cm

• Pregnancy (1st trimester):
• 4-5 weeks:
  • Gestational sac
    • First sign of early pregnancy, usually seen between 3-5 weeks gestation
    • Double decidual sac sign:
      • Two concentric rings (uterine lining and gestation lining) around anechoic gestational sac
      • Highly suggestive of intrauterine pregnancy (before yolk sac or embryo embryo visualized)
      • 

        Double decidual sac sign
    • Intradecidual sign:
      • Thickened decidua on one side of uterine cavity surrounding anechoeic sac
      • 

        Intradecidual sign
  • Pseudgestational sac
    • May be erroneously interpreted as true gestational sac in ectopic pregnancy
    • Irregularly shaped
    • Located in endometrial cavity, instead of eccentrically within endometrium
    • No yolk sac present
    • May not have double decidual sac sign
• 5.5-6 weeks:
  • Yolk Sac
    • Circular (or sometimes as two parallel lines) echogenic structure with thick walls within gestational sac
    • Only seen in intrauterine pregnancy
    • Multiple yolk sacs is earliest sign in multiple gestational pregnancy
  • Double bleb sign:
    • Yolk sac and amniotic cavity that look like two bubbles within gestational sac

Double bleb sign (yolk sac and amniotic cavity

• 6-7 weeks
  • Fetal Pole
    • First visual manifestation of fetus (or "embryo")
    • Thickening of margin on yolk sac
    • 

      Fetal pole (Thickening of yolk sac on one side)
  • Cardiac activity present (FHR ~100-115 bpm)
    • Crown rump length: ~5mm
• 8-9 weeks
  • Limb buds appear
  • Head identifiable
• 9-10 weeks
  • FHR ~170-180 bpm
  • Fetal movement visible

Images

Normal

Normal thickened endometrial stripe during secretory phase

Normal thin endometrial stripe during menses

Abnormal

Ectopic pregnancy at the cervix

Free fluid in cul-de-sac, no gestational sac visualized in uterus

Simple ovarian cyst

Hemorrhagic cyst with blood clot