Ultrasound for Identifying Gynecological and Obstetrical Etiologies of First-Trimester Pelvic Pain

Abstract

For well-being of mother and fetus timely and accurate diagnosis is necessary. Pregnant patients frequently presented with pain and discomfort in the first trimester of pregnancy due to multiple gynaecological and obstetrical causes. Objective: To identify the gynecological and obstetrical causes of first-trimester pelvic pain using ultrasound. Methods: This retrospective, descriptive cross-sectional study was done after obtaining ethical approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB). Data collection was done retrospectively from Al-Jannat Lab, Lahore. Patient’s medical record of six-month period from April 2023 to September 2023 was reviewed. The data collection was done during time period of November 2023 to January 2024. Data analysis was done on SPSS version 26.0. Results: In this study, retrospective data were collected of 86 patients. Transvaginal Ultrasonography (TVUS) was performed on 43 patients (50.0%) Transabdominal Sonography (TAS) was done on 26 patients (30.2 percent), whereas both scanning techniques were used in 17 cases. Gynaecological causes of pelvic pain detected during first trimester of pregnancy were Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, Endometriosis, Ovarian Cyst, Fibroids and Adnexal Torsion whereas Obstetrical causes of pelvic pain were Ectopic Pregnancy, Sub chorionic Hemorrhage, Molar Pregnancy, Heterotopic Pregnancy and Miscarriage. Conclusions: Ultrasound identifies a variety of gynecological and obstetrical causes as a first-line diagnostic tool for pelvic pain in early pregnancy and helps in better patient management and avoids undue interventions