Health & Environmental Research Online (HERO)


Print Feedback Export to File
7423833 
Journal Article 
3D Ultrasound for Follicle Monitoring in ART 
Murtinger, M; Zech, NH; , 
2014 
Springer New York 
New York, NY 
Ultrasound Imaging in Reproductive Medicine 
263-282 
Follicle tracking is commonly employed to assess the response to ovarian stimulation during an in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle. In the majority of cases, two-dimensional (2D) transvaginal ultrasound (US) is performed to monitor follicle growth and to determine the optimal time for administering human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) to trigger final oocyte maturation. However, the accurate evaluation of follicle size and count, especially with multifollicular growth, requires significant expertise and experience. The reliability and validity of such measurements are likely to decrease as the number of follicles increases. With 2D US, only an approximation of the actual follicular volume is achieved; therefore, it cannot be used to define standards for follicle tracking. In recent years, ultrasonographic imaging technologies and their supporting software have improved remarkably. These sophisticated techniques allow the identification and quantification of hypoechoic regions within a three-dimensional ultrasound (3D) data set and provide a precise estimation of their absolute dimensions, mean diameters, and volumes. Accurate evaluation of size and volume of complex structured follicles is facilitated. This chapter will provide an overview for the use of 3D ultrasound in reproductive medicine combined with automated measurement of follicular size, thus providing an objective, fast, valid, and reliable standard.