Puncture procedures utilizing transvaginal ultrasonic guidance.

The introduction of transvaginal sonography has enabled the use of this scanning method for guided puncture procedures. A total of 102 puncture procedures are described: 63 fetal reductions, eight punctures of ectopic pregnancies, 19 drainages of pelvic contents, seven punctures of ovarian cysts, four diagnostic culdocenteses and one injection of a cervical pregnancy. Every procedure is discussed in detail. There was only one procedure-related complication. The advantages of the ultrasound-guided vaginal puncture procedure are its performance under real-time imaging, a low complication rate, a better pregnancy outcome when considering the reduction of multifetal gestations, and, most importantly, the fact that abdominal surgery can be avoided in several cases. Copyright 1991 International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology