The role of three-dimensional ultrasonography in assisted reproduction

Objective: Clarifying the role of 3D ultrasound and definition of new applications in the diagnosis of sterility. Assessment of perifollicular and ovarian vascularity as measured using 3D ultrasound and PDA in relation to the quality of oocytes was the aim of the first pilot study. In the second study we evaluated whether the endometrial and ovarian parameters as measured using 3D power Doppler ultrasound can predict the outcome in frozen embryo transfer (FET) cycle. To compare the luteal and placental hormone secretion in relation to power Doppler 3D ultrasound volume and vascularity measurement of dominant ovary and corpus luteum between primigravid and multigravid women during the 5th to 11th week of pregnancy with the possibility of applying relational context for the first trimester of pregnancy in functionally agonadal women. Methods: In the first prospective pilot study 17 women were recruited in IVF/ICSI stimulation related to kind of stimulated protocol and cause of sterility to determine ovarian and co-dominant follicle (follicle with maximum diameter) volume, blood flow characteristics using three dimensional power Doppler ultrasound, grading system of perifollicular vascularity (Chui D.K.C. et al., 1997) and power Doppler indexes PI and RI of follicular artery. The oocyte of the...