SAN DIEGO - A handheld ultrasound system can perform well for some limited ob/gyn ultrasound indications, according to a study presented Thursday at the 2008 American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM) meeting.
"The handheld ultrasound exam was reliable in making the initial diagnosis required by the limited ultrasound exam in ob/gyn," said Dr. Ivica Zalud from the University of Hawaii in Honolulu.
The researchers sought to establish the clinical utility of a basic ultrasound exam with a handheld ultrasound system in a limited ob/gyn evaluation. They recruited 195 subjects from a pool of patients referred for limited ob/gyn ultrasound studies.
Fifteen patients were included for each of the following ob/gyn indications: threatened abortion, fetal demise, decreased fetal movements, oligohydramnios, breech presentation, early diagnosis of twin pregnancy, unknown last menstrual period, placenta previa, intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), polyhydramnios, enlarged uterus, ovarian cyst, and free fluid in the cul-de-sac.
All patients were scanned using an Acuson P10 ultrasound system (Siemens Medical Solutions, Malvern, PA) and a 3- to 5-MHz transabdominal probe. The researchers then compared the findings on the handheld ultrasound exam with those from the formal ultrasound exams. All handheld studies took five minutes or less, Zalud said.
The researchers determined that the handheld ultrasound exam results were identical to standard limited obstetrical ultrasound exam reports for the patients being scanned for threatened abortion, fetal demise, decreased fetal movements, oligohydramnios, breech presentation, early diagnosis of twin pregnancy, and unknown last menstrual period. It correctly diagnosed placenta previa in 13 of 15 cases (87%), IUGR in 14 of 15 cases (93%), and 14 of 15 cases (93%) with polyhydramnios, Zalud said.
Handheld ultrasound made diagnoses in the incorrect cases that were not confirmed by the limited ultrasound exam, he said.
"Caution should be taken when examining patients with placenta previa, IUGR, and polyhydramnios," he noted.
Handheld ultrasound exam results were also identical for the three gynecological ultrasound indications (enlarged uterus, ovarian cyst, and free fluid in the cul-de-sac) used in the study, he said.
By Erik L. Ridley
AuntMinnie.com staff writer
March 14, 2008
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