Subject(s)
Ectromelia/diagnosis , Prenatal Diagnosis , Ultrasonography , Adult , Female , Humans , PregnancyABSTRACT
Three cases of echogenic objects in the uterine cavity are reported. These objects had ultrasonographic characteristics of contraceptive intrauterine devices (IUDs) and, in the absence of patients' medical histories, would almost certainly have been wrongly identified as such. The authors demonstrate that noncontraceptive intrauterine objects can mimic IUDs.
PIP: Ultrasonography has been used effectively to evaluate the endometrial cavity in search of a missing IUD. Specific ultrasonographic features of IUDs include posterior acoustic shadowing, type-specific morphologic features, and entrance-exit reflection. This article presents 3 cases of echogenic objects in the uterine cavity. In the 1st case, the object was osseous tissue from an incomplete septic abortion. In the 2nd case, the object was a polyethylene stent which had been used in a left cornu reimplantation. The 3rd object was a cotton swab. Ultrasonographic features in all 3 cases were similar to those of IUDs. The medical history of each patient made correct interpretation of the ultrasonographic images possible. In the absence of such histories, these objects would have been wrongly identified as IUDs.
Subject(s)
Foreign Bodies/diagnosis , Intrauterine Devices , Ultrasonography , Uterus/pathology , Adult , Female , Foreign Bodies/diagnostic imaging , Humans , Hysterosalpingography , Ossification, HeterotopicABSTRACT
A safe, inexpensive, and expedient real-time ultrasound-directed thoracentesis technique that uses a unique closed needle-syringe assembly is described. No pneumothorax has occurred over a four-year period using this technique with 110 patients.
