WHEN SHOULD TRANSVAGINAL SONOGRAPHY BE DONE?

The development of high frequency transvaginal probes is producing a diagnostic revolution in gynecology. It allows the doctor to examine the pelvic organs from a different point of view. Those who think this is an overstatement have either not used the technique or have not invested the time to become proficient enough with the technique to appreciate its real potential.

Transvaginal sonography adds information on the size, location, physiology and possible pathology of every organ in the pelvis.

Transvaginal sonography should be done as a routine whenever possible to evaluate pelvic pain, abnormal bleeding, missed periods and amenorrhoea, adnexal masses, infertility and early pregnancy; to monitor ovulation induction; to diagnose an ovulation; to rule out ectopic pregnancy and so on.

Addition of colour Doppler gives more information especially in cases of suspected ectopic pregnancy and invasive more.

Lastly, a thorough transvaginal scan by an experienced hand the chances of missing an abnormality is minimal.

Moreover we have found that discomfort of a full bladder is more than discomfort by a transvaginal sonography and majority of our patients have been quite comfortable with transvaginal sonography except for a few patients with severe pelvic inflammation.

Vaginal ultrasound is also useful in infertile couple to retrieve eggs for in vitro fertilisation, a process in which sperm from a man and egg from a woman are fertilised in a dish in a lab and then placed inside the woman's uterus to grow into fetus.