Vaginal ultrasonography is a

medical ultrasonography Medical ultrasound includes Medical diagnosis, diagnostic techniques (mainly medical imaging, imaging) using ultrasound, as well as therapeutic ultrasound, therapeutic applications of ultrasound. In diagnosis, it is used to create an image of ...

that applies an ultrasound transducer (or "probe") in the

vagina In mammals and other animals, the vagina (: vaginas or vaginae) is the elastic, muscular sex organ, reproductive organ of the female genital tract. In humans, it extends from the vulval vestibule to the cervix (neck of the uterus). The #Vag ...

to visualize organs within the

pelvic cavity The pelvic cavity is a body cavity that is bounded by the bones of the pelvis. Its oblique roof is the pelvic inlet (the superior opening of the pelvis). Its lower boundary is the pelvic floor. The pelvic cavity primarily contains the reproduc ...

. It is also called transvaginal ultrasonography because the ultrasound waves go ''across'' the vaginal wall to study tissues beyond it.

Uses

Vaginal ultrasonography is used both as a means of

gynecologic ultrasonography Gynecologic ultrasonography or gynecologic sonography refers to the application of medical ultrasonography to the female pelvic organs (specifically the uterus, the ovaries, and the fallopian tubes) as well as the bladder, the adnexa, and the r ...

and

obstetric ultrasonography Obstetric ultrasonography, or prenatal ultrasound, is the use of medical ultrasonography in pregnancy, in which sound waves are used to create real-time visual images of the developing embryo or fetus in the uterus (womb). The procedure is a stand ...

. It is preferred over

abdominal ultrasonography Abdominal ultrasonography (also called abdominal ultrasound imaging or abdominal sonography) is a form of medical ultrasonography (medical application of ultrasound technology) to visualise abdominal anatomical structures. It uses transmission a ...

in the diagnosis of

ectopic pregnancy Ectopic pregnancy is a complication of pregnancy in which the embryo attaches outside the uterus. Signs and symptoms classically include abdominal pain and vaginal bleeding, but fewer than 50 percent of affected women have both of these sympto ...

. It also can be used to evaluate patients with

post-menopausal bleeding Vaginal bleeding is any expulsion of blood from the vagina. This bleeding may originate from the uterus, vaginal wall, or cervix. Generally, it is either part of a normal menstrual cycle or is caused by hormonal or other problems of the reproductiv ...

. The finding on transvaginal ultrasound of a thin endometrial lining gives the physician a 99% negative predictive value that the patient does not have endometrial cancer. If a patient had a prior endometrial sampling that was inconclusive, then a transvaginal ultrasound can be used to triage a woman with post-menopausal bleeding.

References

External links

* Diagnostic medical imaging Diagnostic obstetrics and gynaecology Medical ultrasonography {{med-imaging-stub

Uses

See also

References

External links