Examination of the second-trimester fetus with severe oligohydramnios using transvaginal scanning

Article Abstract:

Ultrasonographic imaging uses high frequency sound to visualize internal structures. Traditional obstetrical ultrasound is performed by placing the transducer over the abdomen, a procedure known as abdominal ultrasound, to visualize the fetus. A newer method uses a probe inserted into the vagina to transmit ultrasound. Clearer, high-resolution images are produced using transvaginal ultrasound techniques. This method has been proven to be effective in imaging the fetus during the first three months of pregnancy. Transvaginal ultrasound is particularly useful in imaging fetal parts that lie nearer to the cervix, and in situations were the fetus is in the lower segment of the uterus. The usefulness of transvaginal ultrasound in pregnancies complicated by a small-for-age fetus with a decreased amount of amniotic fluid surrounding it (oligohydramnios) is discussed. Transvaginal ultrasonography was used in two pregnancies complicated by oligohydramnios during the second trimester of pregnancy. In both cases, the fetal structure had been considered normal by abdominal ultrasound. A 35-year-old woman had a transabdominal ultrasound which diagnosed severe oligohydramnios, but results were obscured by the position of the fetus. Transvaginal ultrasound was able to visualize the fetus, which was found to have only one kidney; a diagnosis of Potter's syndrome was made. In another case, a 26-year-old woman with severe oligohydramnios was referred for transvaginal ultrasound because the lack of amniotic fluid that made visualizing the fetal structures difficult. Transvaginal ultrasound produced a high-resolution image revealing skeletal abnormalities indicative of Potter's syndrome. Since oligohydramnios in the second trimester of pregnancy is associated with a poor fetal outcome, transvaginal ultrasound can produce a more accurate assessment of fetal anatomy. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Methods, Innovations, Fetus, Prenatal ultrasonography, Ultrasonics in obstetrics

---

Diagnostic and therapeutic transabdominal amnioinfusion in oligohydramnios

Article Abstract:

Oligohydramnios is a condition characterized by an abnormally small amount of amniotic fluid. This condition may result from blockage of the urinary tract; lack of kidney function; rupture of fetal membranes; or intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR), the delayed growth and development of the fetus. Oligohydramnios is difficult to diagnose and may have a poor outcome if not treated early. Ultrasonography is a diagnostic method in which sound waves are used to visualize the fetus, but this technique requires an adequate amount of fluid to transmit sound waves. Artificial amniotic fluid can be injected into the abdomen to improve the ultrasound image. Pulmonary hypoplasia, or underdevelopment of the lung, associated with oligohydramnios was reported to improve after amniotic fluid injection in animal models. The risks and benefits of amnioinfusion, the injection of solutions into the amniotic fluid, were evaluated. Amnioinfusion was performed in 61 pregnancies with oligohydramnios; a total of 92 amnioinfusion procedures were performed before the start of labor between 16 and 36 weeks of pregnancy. Amnioinfusion improved the ultrasound image in 58 of 61 pregnancies, confirmed fetal defects in 27 of 30 suspected cases, and detected unsuspected fetal abnormalities in five cases. This procedure also helped identify rupture of fetal membranes in 16 of 35 women without evidence of fetal kidney disorders, and detected separation of the fetal membranes from the uterus in 13 women. Diagnoses were changed in eight cases due to amnioinfusion. Of 92 amnioinfusion procedures, only two resulted in amnionitis, or inflammation of the fetal membranes. These findings suggest that amnioinfusion is beneficial in managing oligohydramnios. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Management, Abnormalities, Fetal membranes, Pregnancy, Complications of, Pregnancy complications, Amniotic fluid, Oligohydramnios

---

Transvaginal sonography of the endometrium in postmenopausal women

Article Abstract:

Sonography is a method in which sound waves are used to provide images of internal structures of the body. In transvaginal sonography, the transducer, or device that sends and receives the sound wave signal, is inserted into the vagina. Transvaginal sonography has been shown to be a useful method for monitoring changes in the thickness and physical characteristics of the endometrium, the tissue lining the uterus. This method may also be useful in assessing the spread of cancer cells in women with endometrial cancer or in examining the endometrium of postmenopausal women, who have stopped menstruating. The effectiveness of transvaginal sonography in monitoring the endometrium of postmenopausal women was assessed. The results were compared with those obtained by microscopic examination of endometrial tissue obtained by biopsy or curettage, the scraping of the uterus. The study involved 80 postmenopausal women, including 65 women without symptoms, and 15 with postmenopausal bleeding. Twenty-seven of the 65 women without symptoms were receiving hormone replacement therapy. Decreased stimulation of the uterus by estrogen was associated with reduced thickness of the endometrium of 4 millimeters (mm) or less. However, specific conditions of the endometrium, including proliferation (rapid cell division); cancer; and hyperplasia (overgrowth of normal cells) could not be distinguished in women with endometrial thickness between 5 and 8 mm. Sonography was effective in identifying the spread of cancer to the myometrium, or muscle layer of the uterus, and in detecting polyps. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Health aspects, Complications and side effects, Menopause, Postmenopausal women, Endometrium

Similar abstracts:

• Abstracts: Acquired malposition of the colon and gallbladder in patients with cirrhosis: CT findings and clinical implications
• Abstracts: Effects of anxiety on family members of patients with cardiac disease learning cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Retention of cardiopulmonary resuscitation skills among nursing personnel: what makes the difference?
• Abstracts: Nosocomial transmission of tuberculosis associated with a draining abscess. Tuberculosis and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome - Florida
• Abstracts: Nosocomial transmission of tuberculosis associated with a draining abscess. part 2 Prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis B virus in unselected hospital admissions: implications for mandatory testing and universal precautions
• Abstracts: Prenatal prediction of risk of the fetal hydantoin syndrome. Increased nuchal translucency as a marker for fetal chromosomal defects

This website is not affiliated with document authors or copyright owners. This page is provided for informational purposes only. Unintentional errors are possible.