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Human Reproduction, Vol. 14, No. 10, 2600-2603, October 1999
© 1999 European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology

Saline infusion contrast intrauterine sonographic assessment of the endometrium with high-frequency, real-time miniature transducer in normal menstrual cycle: a preliminary report

Daisaku Senoh1, Hirokazu Tanaka2, Masashi Akiyama2, Toshihiro Yanagihara2 and Toshiyuki Hata2,3

1 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and 2 Department of Perinatology, Kagawa Medical University, 1750–1 Ikenobe, Miki, Kagawa 761-0793, Japan

Normal endometrial texture was visualized using saline infusion contrast intrauterine sonography with a specially developed 20 MHz flexible catheter-based high-resolution, real-time miniature (2.4 mm outer diameter) ultrasound transducer in primary infertile women (n = 15) with a normal menstrual cycle. All the women had <2 years infertility duration and were studied in proliferative, and early or mid-secretory phases. Before intrauterine sonography, transvaginal sonographic assessment of the endometrium was conducted. The overall image clarity was subjectively compared between intrauterine and transvaginal sonography. Most endometrial textures in both proliferative and secretory phases were viewed more easily with intrauterine rather than transvaginal sonography, and this was especially true with an intrauterine saline infusion technique. Moreover, it was possible to obtain finer image quality of very small endometrial interfacial and internal textures with intrauterine sonography. However, the depth of penetration of the ultrasound beam is only ~2 cm, therefore examination of larger pathological endometrial lesions is markedly limited because of the shallow scanning range of the high-frequency transducer. Intrauterine sonography may be a valuable tool in imaging endometrial texture in normal menstrual cycle, and possibly in infertility practice, complementing and not replacing transvaginal sonography.

Key words: endometrium/high-frequency, real-time miniature transducer/normal menstrual cycle/saline infusion contrast intrauterine sonography/transvaginal sonography

3 To whom correspondence should be addressed


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