Medical expert of the article
New publications
Pelvic and uterine ultrasound
Last reviewed: 06.07.2025
All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
Where can you do an ultrasound of the uterus and what other studies are included in the diagnostic complex of the pelvic organs, let's consider this. Ultrasound examination of the uterus includes examination of the ovaries and fallopian tubes.
Ultrasound (echography) of the pelvic organs plays a leading role in the complex of diagnostic methods. This is due to the non-invasiveness, relative simplicity and high information content of the method.
Numerous studies in recent years have shown that ultrasound is a valuable method for diagnosing endometrial hyperplastic processes, adenomyosis, uterine myoma, etc. Transabdominal and transvaginal ultrasound should complement each other, and it is necessary to take into account the advantages and disadvantages of each method. According to a number of authors, transvaginal ultrasound is a routine procedure in gynecological practice, complementing bimanual examination. The use of transvaginal ultrasound is limited in children and patients who are not sexually active.
In recent years, transvaginal ultrasound using a contrast agent - hydrosonography, ultrasonohysterography - has gained recognition as an improved method for diagnosing intrauterine pathology. Hydrosonography allows for differential diagnostics of polyps and endometrial hyperplasia, polyps and submucous nodes, as well as clearly determining the localization and specifying the size of intrauterine formations.
Promising areas that provide more accurate diagnostics of uterine pathology are intrauterine ultrasonography and three-dimensional echography. In recent years, in addition to ultrasound diagnostics of pathological processes accompanied by anatomical changes in the internal genital organs, the method of ultrasound Dopplerography has been widely used to determine their functional state. Dopplerography allows an objective assessment of the degree of hemodynamic disturbances in the arteries supplying the uterus with various gynecological diseases. With the advent of color Doppler mapping, which allows simultaneous assessment of the direction, speed and nature of blood flow, the possibilities for diagnosing peripheral circulatory disorders have expanded significantly.
The main indication for the procedure is pain in the lower abdomen, abnormal vaginal bleeding, infertility, absence of menstruation, monitoring the treatment of intrauterine diseases, suspicion of various tumors, and much more.
Today, there are several methods for performing ultrasound examination of the uterus:
- Transvaginal – performed using a sensor that is inserted into the vagina and brought as close as possible to the uterus. Allows for the most reliable diagnostics of the reproductive system.
- Transabdominal – the examination is performed through the abdominal wall with a full bladder. This procedure is considered an overview, after which transvaginal diagnostics are performed.
- Transrectal – diagnostics are performed through the rectum, used to examine patients who are not sexually active. The same sensor is used for the examination as for vaginal ultrasound.
- Transperineal - ultrasound diagnostics is performed through the perineum in patients who are not sexually active, as well as in children and women with atresia, that is, vaginal closure.
Using ultrasound of the uterus, it is possible to identify benign and malignant tumors, determine the presence of a normal or pathological pregnancy and other pathologies.