title: Are endometrial parameters by three-dimensional ultrasound and power Doppler angiography related to in vitro fertilization/embryo transfer outcome?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate whether endometrial parameters by three-dimensional ultrasonography and power Doppler angiography (3D US-PDA) can predict in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI) outcome.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective clinical study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Assisted reproduction unit in a referral hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty women who underwent IVF cycles.
  
  
  METHODS
  Endometrial 3D US-PDA evaluated by VOCAL software (plane C and 9 degrees of rotational steps).
  
  
  METHODS
  Endometrial pattern, endometrial thickness (ET), endometrial volume (EV), and PDA indexes of vascularization index (VI), flow index (FI), and vascularization flow index (VFI) were measured on the day of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) administration. These measurements were related to IVF/ICSI and embryo transfer outcome.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the pregnant group, EV, VI, FI, and FVI but not triple-line pattern and ET were statistically significantly higher. The area under receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was statistically significant for EV (0.746), VI (0.724), FI (0.828), and VFI (0.800) when no grade 1 embryos or only one were transferred (43 cycles, 14 pregnancies) but not when two or three grade 1 embryos were transferred. Moreover, these parameters were statistically significant in predicting a normal pregnancy outcome (no early pregnancy loss) but were not related to multiple pregnancies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In IVF/ICSI cycles, 3D US-PDA is useful for evaluating endometrial receptivity. Endometrial volume and 3D power Doppler indexes are statistically significant in predicting the cycle outcome when one grade 1 or no grade 1 embryos are transferred, which could be helpful data in a single-embryo transfer policy.
authors.affiliation: Assisted Reproduction Unit, International Ruber Hospital, Madrid, Spain. ltmerce@sego.es
authors.forename: Luis T
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: Mercé
authors.forename: María J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Barco
authors.forename: Santiago
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bau
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Troyano
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D010064:Embryo Implantation; D004624:Embryo Transfer; D004717:Endometrium / Q000098:blood supply / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D011247:Pregnancy; D018873:Pregnancy Rate; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012372:ROC Curve; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D020554:Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color