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Emergency Department Ultrasound in Pregnancy
Book chapter

Emergency Department Ultrasound in Pregnancy

Cory Wittrock and Erica Peethumnongsin
Emergency Department Management of Obstetric Complications, pp.15-30
Springer International Publishing
05/18/2017
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-54410-6_2

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Abstract

Point-of-care ultrasound is a safe and efficient tool for the assessment of the pregnant patient. Bedside imaging can rapidly diagnose unstable conditions like ectopic pregnancy without the patient ever leaving the emergency department. While obstetricians employ comprehensive ultrasound imaging for a variety of purposes, such as dating or detection of fetal anomalies, the goals of point-of-care ultrasound are limited by design. These studies seek to quickly, but accurately, answer very focused questions and, by necessity, must be narrow in scope. Point-of-care ultrasound can be used for identifying early pregnancy location (intrauterine vs. ectopic vs. indeterminate), gestational dating, and limited fetal biometry. This chapter will describe the technical acquisition of these ultrasound images, both transabdominally and transvaginally, and will discuss image interpretation, including a particular focus on the current controversy surrounding the use of a β-HCG “discriminatory zone.”
Biparietal diameter Crown-rump length Discriminatory zone Ectopic pregnancy Intrauterine pregnancy Point-of-care ultrasound Pregnancy of unknown location

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