title: Transabdominal and transvaginal ultrasonographic diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy: clinical implications.
abstract: Thirty-five patients attending an emergency room with a positive pregnancy test and suspected ectopic pregnancy underwent an ultrasonographic examination with both the transabdominal and the transvaginal techniques. Twenty-four out of 26 ectopic pregnancies were correctly diagnosed on admission, combining results of the two techniques, the sensitivity of the two techniques used separately being 88.4% (transvaginal) and 76.9% (transabdominal). In our unselected symptomatic patients, the transvaginal technique showed to be advantageous but not essential in the management of ectopic pregnancy. The surgical outcome of these patients suggested that a prompt diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy did not warrant a conservative treatment.
authors.affiliation: Clinica Osterica e Ginecologica, Università di Genova Ospedale San Martino, Italia.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Valenzano
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Anserini
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Remorgida
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Brasca
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Centonze
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Costantini
mesh_terms: D004630:Emergencies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011271:Pregnancy, Ectopic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal / Q000379:methods*