Ultrasound diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy

Ectopic pregnancy (EP) remains the number one cause of first trimester maternal death. Traditionally, laparoscopy has been the gold standard for diagnosis of EP. The advent of high-resolution transvaginal scan (TVS) means more clinically stable women with EPs are diagnosed earlier, well before surgery becomes necessary in many cases. Early diagnosis by TVS is therefore potentially life saving and can reduce surgical morbidity by allowing elective surgery or even non-surgical conservative treatment options. Combining transabdominal and transvaginal scanning confers no benefit over transvaginal scanning alone. Reports that reads "…empty uterus, ectopic pregnancy cannot be excluded" should be a thing of the past. Diagnosis of EP should be based upon the positive identification of an adnexal mass using TVS rather than the absence of an intra-uterine gestational sac. A systematic approach to scanning the early pregnancy pelvis will diagnose the vast majority of EPs at the initial scan. Ultrasound, and in particular TVS, is fast becoming the new gold standard for diagnosis of all types of EP. In modern management, laparoscopy should be seen as the operative tool of choice while TVS the diagnostic tool of choice.