title: Sonography of Responsive Versus Nonresponsive Ectopic Pregnancies.
abstract: This case series describes changes in size, vascularity, and cul-de-sac fluid in 30 patients with ectopic pregnancies who were treated with systemic methotrexate. Pretreatment and posttreatment transvaginal sonography of the ectopic pregnancies was performed with color Doppler imaging, and the images were assessed for changes in size, vascularity, and cul-de-sac free fluid. There was a trend for nonresponders to show increased vascularity on serial examinations, although this finding was also seen in a single responder. There was also a trend for nonresponders with increased vascularity to be associated with a greater increase in β-human chorionic gonadotropin levels and responders with decreased vascularity to be associated with a greater decrease in β-human chorionic gonadotropin levels.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Nashville, Tennessee USA.
authors.forename: Aditi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Desai
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Nashville, Tennessee USADepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Nashville, Tennessee USA arthur.fleischer@vanderbilt.edu.
authors.forename: Arthur C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Fleischer
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio USA.
authors.forename: Shaun A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Wahab
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Nashville, Tennessee USA.
authors.forename: Melinda
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: New
authors.affiliation: Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee USA.
authors.forename: Ciaran
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Smolinsky
authors.affiliation: Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee USA.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: McKenna
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Nashville, Tennessee USADepartments of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Nashville, Tennessee USA.
authors.forename: Rochelle
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Andreotti
mesh_terms: D000020:Abortifacient Agents, Nonsteroidal / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D018997:Chorionic Gonadotropin, beta Subunit, Human / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008727:Methotrexate / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011271:Pregnancy, Ectopic / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000188:drug therapy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color / Q000379:methods; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000020:Abortifacient Agents, Nonsteroidal; D018997:Chorionic Gonadotropin, beta Subunit, Human; D008727:Methotrexate
keywords: color Doppler transvaginal sonography; gynecologic ultrasound; responders versus nonresponders; treated ectopic pregnancies