ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on basic techniques for performing both transabdominal and transvaginal pelvic ultrasound (US). Particular attention will be paid to the topic of ectopic pregnancy. Sonography is a key tool in the evaluation of the female patient with acute pelvic pain or vaginal bleeding. In early pregnancy, sonography can confirm the presence of intrauterine pregnancy, making an ectopic or extrauterine gestation (EUG) much less likely. When considering pelvic US, attention is often focused on the transvaginal approach. The bladder is anterior and forms a key landmark for pelvic imaging. In the transabdominal approach, a full bladder provides an acoustic “window” that allows visualization of the rest of the pelvis. Although the patient with a first trimester pregnancy presenting to the emergency department with pelvic pain or bleeding may have any number of pathologic conditions, by far the most frequent indication for pelvic US is to diagnose or exclude ectopic pregnancy or EUG.
