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Hum. Reprod. Advance Access published online on January 31, 2006
Human Reproduction, doi:10.1093/humrep/dei502
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© The Author 2006. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org
Received November 8, 2005
Revised December 15, 2005
Accepted December 23, 2005

Article

The role of endometrial and subendometrial vascularity measured by three-dimensional power Doppler ultrasound in the prediction of pregnancy during frozen-thawed embryo transfer cycles

Ernest Hung Yu Ng 1 *, Carina Chi Wai Chan 1, Oi Shan Tang 1, William Shu Biu Yeung 1, and Pak Chung Ho 1

1 Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Ernest Hung Yu Ng, E-mail: nghye{at}hkucc.hku.hk


  Abstract

BACKGROUND: A good blood supply to the endometrium is usually considered as an essential requirement for implantation. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of endometrial and subendometrial vascularity in the prediction of pregnancy during frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET) cycles. METHODS: Women undergoing FET in natural or clomiphene-induced cycles after the first stimulated IVF treatment were recruited. A three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound examination with power Doppler was performed 1 day after the LH surge to determine endometrial thickness, endometrial pattern, pulsatility index (PI) and resistance index (RI) of uterine vessels, endometrial volume, vascularization index, flow index and vascularization flow index of endometrial and suben-dometrial regions. RESULTS: Women in the pregnant group were significantly younger and used less gonadotrophins in their stimulated cycle. Endometrial thickness, endometrial volume, endometrial pattern, uterine PI, uterine RI, endometrial and subendometrial 3D power Doppler flow indices were similar between the nonpreg-nant and the pregnant groups. The age of women was the only predictive factor for pregnancy. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed that the area under the curve was around 0.5 for all ultrasound parameters for endometrial receptivity. CONCLUSION: Vascularity of endometrial and subendometrial layers measured by 3D power Doppler ultrasound is not a good predictor of pregnancy in FET cycles if measured at one time point only.

Keywords: endometrial and subendometrial vascularity/frozen-thawed embryo transfer/three-dimensional power Doppler.
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E. H. Y. Ng, C. C. W. Chan, O. S. Tang, W. S. B. Yeung, and P. C. Ho
Endometrial and subendometrial vascularity is higher in pregnant patients with livebirth following ART than in those who suffer a miscarriage
Hum. Reprod., April 1, 2007; 22(4): 1134 - 1141.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


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