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Acceptability by patients of transvaginal sonography in the elective assessment of the first‐trimester fetus
Author(s) -
Braithwaite J. M.,
Economides D. L.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
ultrasound in obstetrics and gynecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.202
H-Index - 141
eISSN - 1469-0705
pISSN - 0960-7692
DOI - 10.1046/j.1469-0705.1997.09020091.x
Subject(s) - medicine , transvaginal sonography , miscarriage , obstetrics , obstetrics and gynaecology , gestation , pregnancy , gynecology , first trimester , population , products of conception , gestational age , genetics , environmental health , biology
The acceptability of transvaginal sonography (TVS) for visualization of first‐trimester fetal anatomy was investigated in 160 women sequentially attending a routine dating scan clinic at 12–13 weeks' gestation. All women under went transabdominal sonography (TAS) in the first instance to assess gestational age. Of these women, 88.1% agreed to undergo TVS. The main reasons for declining were fear of miscarriage (42.1%) and discomfort (36.8%). With TVS, 51.8% described no discomfort, 47.5% mild and 0.7% marked discomfort. Of the women who under went TVS, 9.5% said that they would have no concerns about a further TVS in another pregnancy. Of those women who had previously had TVS (1l.9%), all agreed to have TVS in this pregnancy and experienced significantly less concern about the procedure than did those who had never had TVS before. TAS was associated with discomfort and inconvenience only if women tried to fill their bladder prior to the scan. In conclusion, TVS is acceptable and well tolerated by an unselected pregnant population. Acceptability rates for TVS should improve as its use becomes more widespread. Copyright © 1997 International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology