An Improved technique for transabdominal pelvic ultrasound - abstract

ABSTRACT

Most textbooks and ultrasound manuals describe the technique for doing transabdominal pelvic ultrasound as simply doing longitudinal and transverse scans through the pelvis in the midline and in the transverse plane, angling 15§ cephalad for the ovaries and caudal angulation for the pelvic musculature. To scan the right adnexa, moving the transducer to the right is described, and to the left for the left adnexa. Occasional mention is made of scanning obliquely. For longitudinal scans, the transducer from the midline is angled towards the right or left for the ovaries. An improved technique for scanning the adnexa is demonstrated, which consists of scanning through the bladder from the opposite side, angling acutely 45§ or less towards the side of interest. For instance, the left adnexa is scanned from the right side of the abdomen, the transducer being placed to the right of the right lateral edge of the bladder and then angled towards the left. This is done both for longitudinal and for transverse scanning of the adnexa. This technique routinely gives a clearer picture and should become part of the standard procedure used and taught by sonographers (AU)