PREOPERATIVE ULTRASONIC ASSESSMENT OF WOMEN UNDERGOING GAMETE INTRAFALLOPIAN TRANSFER - A PROSPECTIVE-STUDY OF 350 CASES

A total of 350 women due to undergo gamete intrafallopian transfer wer e scanned vaginally on the operation day and the findings were compare d with those recorded 2 days previously when human chorionic gonadotro pin was administered. The aim was to assess the clinical value of ultr asound assessment on the operation day, especially from a prognostic p oint of view. Seven women (2%) were found to have already ovulated and evidence of imminent ovulation was detected in another 27 cases (7.7% ). There were more frequent and more marked increases in the number of follicles with a diameter of > 14 mm, in the diameter of the leading follicle and in the endometrial thickness in the women who subsequentl y conceived. The endometrial reflectivity was brighter than the myomet rium (grade A) in 77.3% of the women who conceived, compared with only 37.5% of those who did not conceive. These differences were statistic ally significant. It was concluded that follicular and endometrial cha nges recorded on the day of gamete intrafallopian transfer may have a prognostic value, as the pregnancy rate was higher in women who had th e favorable ultrasonographic features outlined in the study.