Retained products of conception: spectrum of color Doppler findings.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to characterize color Doppler imaging features of retained products of conception (RPOC) with gray scale correlation.


METHODS
Clinically suspected cases of RPOC between January 2005 and February 2008 were reviewed. Patient data and relevant color Doppler and gray scale features were recorded.


RESULTS
A total of 269 patients referred for sonographic evaluation for RPOC were identified. Thirty-five patients had confirmed pathologic diagnoses, 28 of whom had RPOC. In those with RPOC, 5 (18%) were avascular (type 0); 6 (21%) had minimal vascularity (type 1); 12 (43%) had moderate vascularity (type 2); and 5 (18%) had marked vascularity (type 3). Peak systolic velocities ranged from 10 to 108 cm/s (average, 36.1 cm/s). Resistive indices in arterial waveforms ranged from 0.33 to 0.7 (average, 0.5). Five (45%) of the patients with type 0 vascularity had RPOC; 6 (86%) of those with type 1 had RPOC; and 17 (100%) of those with types 2 and 3 had RPOC. An echogenic mass had a moderate positive predictive value (80%) but low sensitivity (29%) for RPOC.


CONCLUSIONS
Color Doppler evaluation of the endometrium is helpful in determining the presence of RPOC. Endometrial vascularity is highly correlated with RPOC, whereas the lack of vascularity can be seen in both intrauterine clots and avascular RPOC.
Kamaya
Aya
A
Department of Radiology, Stanford University Medical Center, 300 Pasteur Dr, H1307, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
Petrovitch
Ivan
I
Chen
Bertha
B
Frederick
Carrie E
CE
Jeffrey
R Brooke
RB
D000027:Abortion, Incomplete / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018457:Placenta, Retained / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011247:Pregnancy; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult