Ultrasound is the most valuable imaging modality in evaluating the female presenting with pelvic infection The appropriate interpretation of the ultrasound study requires correlation with the patient's clinical history and laboratory values. Pelvic sonography is commonly performed in patients with a clinical diagnosis of pelvic inflammatory disease. Sonography can also help to distinguish acute from chronic abnormalities in the fallopian tubes. Though the study may be normal or sometimes non-specific, there are a variety of findings that are characteristic of this process. Understanding of the sonographic features of pelvic inflammation, salpingitis, pyosalpinx, tubo-ovarian complex and tubo-ovarian abscess will allow the interpreter to make more specific, clinically useful diagnoses.
The advantages of high resolution ultrasonography are that it allows more precise diagnosis of any abnormalities in early pregnancy. The frequency of spontaneous interruptions of the development of the reproductive process is very high, especially during the initial stages. It is calculated that, considering the shortcoming of the fecundation, of each 100 potential pregnancies, only 31 will reach full term with a live fetus. The frequency of abortion, considering this as the spontaneous interruption of a pregnancy before the fetus has reached viability, depends therefore on the approach that we use to define that pregnancy exists.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.