Ectopic pregnancy--the leash sign. A new sign on transvaginal Doppler ultrasound.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the efficacy of transvaginal Doppler ultrasound in the diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy.


METHODS
Over a period of 3 years, 100 women with signs suggestive of a possible ectopic pregnancy were evaluated with endovaginal sonography and Doppler. The fallopian tubes were examined for the presence of low-resistance arterial flow.


RESULTS
Of the 100 cases, 19 women had ectopic pregnancies. It was observed that all cases of ectopic pregnancies had a typical eccentric leash of vessels on color Doppler that showed a low resistance placental type of flow on spectral Doppler.


CONCLUSIONS
We propose a new reliable sign of ectopic pregnancy called the leash sign. This sign has a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 99%, a positive predictive value of 95% and negative predictive value of 100%, thus helping in the diagnosis of early ectopic pregnancy, and resulting in earlier treatment with reduced morbidity and mortality.
Ramanan
R V
RV
Apollo Hospitals, Adyar, Chennai, India. rochitav@yahoo.com
Gajaraj
J
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011271:Pregnancy, Ectopic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D018608:Ultrasonography, Doppler