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

Normal endometrial texture was visualized using saline infusion contrast in trauterine sonography with a specially developed 20 MHz flexible catheter-b ased high-resolution, real-time miniature (2.4 mm outer diameter) ultrasoun d transducer in primary infertile women (n = 15) with a normal menstrual cy cle, All the women had <2 years infertility duration and were studied in pr oliferative, and early or mid-secretory phases. Before intrauterine sonogra phy, transvaginal sonographic assessment of the endometrium was conducted, The overall image clarity was subjectively compared between intrauterine an d 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 in trauterine sonography. However, the depth of penetration of the ultrasound beam is only similar to 2 cm, therefore examination of larger pathological endometrial lesions is markedly limited because of the shallow scanning ran ge of the high-frequency transducer, Intrauterine sonography may be a valua ble tool in imaging endometrial texture in normal menstrual cycle, and poss ibly in infertility practice, complementing and not replacing transvaginal sonography.