Faculty Bibliography

A case of split hand anomaly detected by transvaginal sonography at 18 weeks of gestation is reported in which the diagnosis was difficult to establish. Different aspects of this pathology are discussed. Sonographic diagnosis of hand anomalies may be difficult to establish, even with experience. The ideal timing for the prenatal detection of this anomaly remains to be determined

Owing to the limited mobility of the transvaginal probe within the vagina and the introitus, it is virtually impossible to obtain coronal and sagittal sections that are anatomically comparable to those obtained in anatomic sections, computed tomography or magnetic resonance scanning. The aim of this paper is to standardize the neurosonographic images of the fetal brain and develop a nomenclature that more closely reflects the true anatomic sections. A retrospective review of 347 fetal neuroscans was performed. With the use of specific landmarks within the fetal brain, new nomenclature was developed. The scans were divided into the frontal, coronal and sagittal groups. Each group was subsequently further divided into three specific sections. The transvaginal sonographic images of the fetal brain radiate in a fan-like fashion from the anterior fontanelle; therefore the new proposed nomenclature more accurately describes the true anatomic sections

OBJECTIVE: To review and analyze records on heterotopic pregnancy occurring after ovulation induction and assisted reproductive technologies. DATA IDENTIFICATION: Case reports in the English literature related to the topic were identified through a computerized bibliography search up to December 1993. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of heterotopic pregnancies increased in recent years because of the escalating use of new reproductive technologies in infertile patients and has stabilized at approximately 1:100 pregnancies with these procedures. The main reasons for development of such a condition in these patients are past tubal or pelvic disease and multiple ovulations or multiple ET. Progress has been made in diagnosis of heterotopic pregnancy during the last two decades, mainly because of development of ultrasonographic techniques, especially transvaginal ultrasonography. Treatment of heterotopic pregnancy should be prompt to avoid maternal morbidity and mortality from extensive intraperitoneal bleeding. No increased intrauterine fetal mortality due to hemoperitoneum has been proven in the present review, except in advanced cornual pregnancies. More experience is needed for application of new treatment modalities such as salpingocentesis, which are used successfully for ectopic pregnancy, in treatment of heterotopic pregnancy. With early diagnosis and skillful treatment, the outcome of the intrauterine pregnancy is favorable and its survival rate should increase in the future

We present and discuss major current theories about the developmental natural history of the anencephalic human fetus. We confirm previous observations made using transvaginal ultrasonography of exencephalic fetuses which were later imaged and/or delivered as anencephalic fetuses. We explore the possibility of proving the theory of the slowly rubbed-off exposed brain tissue by cytologic examination and special staining of aspirated cells in amniotic fluid. Three fetuses with a typical sonographic picture of exencephaly at 13-15 postmenstrual weeks underwent amniocentesis. The aspirated fluid contained pathognomonic neural cells. The same fetuses later showed the characteristic sonographic and postabortion picture of anencephaly. Our results support the theory that exencephaly is the forerunner of anencephaly

Transvaginal ultrasound revolutionized the practice of obstetrics and gynecology in the past decade. Its 'port of entry' was its application in the diagnostic, as well as the technical and therapeutic aspects, in the reproductive aspects of infertility. This review summarizes the advances made by the continual improvement of equipment, and the ingenious use of different punctures guided by transvaginal sonography in the important area of reproductive technologies

Prenatal diagnosis of non-chromosomal syndromes relies, among others, on the detection of specific morphological findings. In rare syndromes the index case may not be prenatally diagnosed but subsequent pregnancies may benefit from early diagnosis. In this article we discuss the clinical spectrum of an X-linked hereditary disease which contains hydrocephalus, congenital agenesis of the corpus callosum, adducted thumbs, shuffling gait, aphasia, mental retardation, and at times other associated findings. The purpose of this case report is to describe the prenatal sonographic findings of a fetus affected with adducted thumbs, hydrocephaly, and agenesis of te corpus callosum. The patient was referred at 22 1/2 weeks' gestation for prenatal diagnosis. Ultrasound revealed a male fetus with dilatation of the lateral ventricles and partial agenesis of the corpus callosum. The fetal hands showed the thumbs to be fixed in a flexed-adducted position. These findings were consistent with the MASA spectrum (mental retardation-aphasia-shuffling gait-adducted thumbs) present in the older brother. The patient elected to terminate the pregnancy and autopsy confirmed the sonographic findings. In conclusion, prenatal sonography, especially the presence of adducted thumbs, allowed prenatal diagnosis of the second affected child with the MASA spectrum in this family. This morphology-based approach becomes feasible between postmenstrual weeks 15 and 20. Prior to this gestational age, the diagnosis should rely on molecular biology tests

Puncture and injection (usually by methotrexate) of ectopic pregnancies are relatively new modalities of treatment. Lately, these have been applied to cornual ectopic pregnancies. We describe here a proposed transvaginal ultrasound-guided puncture route, leading the needle into the cornual ectopic pregnancy, first traversing the myometrium and approaching the gestational sac from the medical aspect. After extracting the needle, there is potentially less chance for rupture and bleeding. In six of the seven injected cornual pregnancies, this technique was used without complication. The only one punctured from the lateral aspect bled and required laparoscopic intervention. This technique may enable the wider use of this treatment modality by lowering the complication rate caused by bleeding at the puncture site

OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to test the hypothesis that wedging of the cervical internal os determined by transvaginal ultrasonography is associated with premature labor and delivery. STUDY DESIGN: Seventy patients admitted to the hospital for threatened preterm labor were evaluated by transvaginal ultrasonography before institution of therapy. Bivariate and logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the variables that made a significant contribution to the prediction of preterm delivery. RESULTS: Preterm delivery was significantly associated with the presence of cervical wedging, as noted on cervical scan, and with short cervical length. A history of previous preterm delivery was of marginal significance as a predictor of preterm delivery (p=0.09). Preterm delivery was not significantly correlated with age, previous voluntary termination of pregnancy, gestational age at the time of study, previous normal spontaneous vaginal delivery, or tocolytic therapy. Use of wedging as a diagnostic test for the prediction of preterm delivery yielded a sensitivity of 100% a specificity of 74.5%, a positive predictive value of 59.4%, and a negative predictive value of 100%. CONCLUSION: The presence of wedging and shorter cervical length was suggestive of true preterm labor requiring aggressive management. A transvaginal ultrasonographic 'snapshot' view of the cervix seems to be a more reliable method to evaluate the cervix in patients with threatened premature labor than are uterine contractions alone

Using the appropriate scanning techniques and knowing the advantages and disadvantages of ultrasound equipment, the clinically useful pictures that enable better care of the obstetric and gynecologic patient can be generated. The extra advantage of applying the best possible scanning technique may enable the clinician or the imaging specialist to arrive at the correct diagnosis, despite problems created by anatomic circumstances, such as body habitus. The widespread use of ultrasound in general and transvaginal sonography in particular substantially has changed obstetric and gynecologic practice. High frequency transducer probes enable the creation of a crisp detailed picture that facilitates a more accurate and faster diagnostic procedure. Transvaginal sonography should be considered the first choice laboratory tool in the diagnosis of an increasing number of obstetric and gynecologic entities

OBJECTIVE: We tested whether transvaginal ultrasonography could detect the age-related decrease in follicle counts that has been observed in autopsy studies. STUDY DESIGN: Thirty-one healthy volunteers in three age groups (22 to 25, 30 to 33, and 39 to 42 years) underwent ultrasonography in the follicular and luteal phases of the menstrual cycle. At the conclusion of the study the 124 ovarian scans were randomly ordered and antral follicles > or = 2 mm were counted by an evaluator unaware of age. Ordinary least-squares linear regression was used to estimate the associations of age with the total antral follicle count and with ln (1 + follicle count). RESULTS: The numbers of antral follicles > or = 2 mm decreased by about 60% between 22 and 42 years. Age-related decreases were similar for both phases of the cycle and held for both smaller (2 to 3.5 mm) and larger (>3.5 mm) follicles. CONCLUSION: We hypothesize that ultrasonographically derived counts of follicles provide a measure of reproductive age that may help to predict age-related phenomena