Sonographic imaging of maternal complications of pregnancy.
OBJECTIVE
To show the role of diagnostic sonography in delineating pathologic conditions occurring during and immediately after pregnancy.


METHODS
Cases illustrative of a broad range of pathologic conditions were collected primarily from personal experience in a busy ultrasound clinic serving high-and low-risk pregnancies over the past 15 years, with supplemental cases drawn from departmental teaching files. Sonography was the primary diagnostic tool, with confirmation obtained from other imaging modalities in select instances.


RESULTS
Cases were organized on an anatomic and time-of-onset basis. For conditions occurring during pregnancy, the following anatomic areas are considered: the liver and biliary tree, urinary tract, bowel, ovary, and uterus and placenta. For postpartum complications, the following conditions are discussed: subfascial and bladder flap hematomas, retained products of conception, and ovarian vein thrombophlebitis. Although the main imaging modality in these conditions was sonography, correlation with computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging was also made in several cases.


CONCLUSIONS
A broad variety of conditions can affect the pregnant patient, both during and immediately after pregnancy. Sonography can show many of these disease processes, with computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging useful selectively as supplementary tools.
Di Salvo
Donald N
DN
Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 75 Francis St, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
D001660:Biliary Tract Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005260:Female; D017359:HELLP Syndrome / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D007410:Intestinal Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D007889:Leiomyoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D010049:Ovarian Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D010921:Placenta Accreta / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011252:Pregnancy Complications, Neoplastic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011644:Puerperal Disorders / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal; D014514:Ureteral Calculi / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014594:Uterine Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging