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Chapter 22 - Ultrasound to Diagnose and Predict Early Pregnancy Outcome

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2025

By
Cecilia Bottomley
Edited by
Roy G. Farquharson ,
Mary D. Stephenson  and
Mariëtte Goddijn
Roy G. Farquharson
Affiliation:
Liverpool Women’s Hospital
Mary D. Stephenson
Affiliation:
University of Illinois, Chicago
Mariëtte Goddijn
Affiliation:
Amsterdam University Medical Centers
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Summary

Transvaginal ultrasound scan is the mainstay of diagnosis of miscarriage. Evidence based criteria should be fulfilled in all cases, with interval scans as needed to avoid inadvertent interventions when the pregnancy may be viable. Incomplete, inevitable and complete miscarriages have specific ultrasound findings. Several ultrasound factors, including slow embryonic heart rate, small embryo or gestation sac size and an enlarged yolk sac, alone or in combination, help predict impending pregnancy loss. Uterine factors such as fibroids, adenomyosis and adhesions after previous caesarean birth may make ultrasound assessment for early pregnancy more challenging.

Keywords

Ultrasoundtransvaginal scanmiscarriageembryonic demisepregnancy lossmolar pregnancy
Type
Chapter
Information
Early Pregnancy , pp. 229 - 244
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2025

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References

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