THE ROLE OF SALINE SONOGRAPHY IN INVESTIGATION OF ABNORMAL MENSTRUAL BLEEDING

Dr Andrew Ngu MBBS FRANZCOG DDU COGU

Abstract
Abnormal menstrual bleeding can present in various ways. The menstrual loss may be excessive with a regular cycle or an irregular cycle. There may be an underlying organic cause but, in the majority of women with abnormal menstrual bleeding there is no identifiable underlying organic cause. The diagnosis of dysfunctional uterine bleeding can only be made after pelvic and systemic pathology are excluded1.

Organic lesion can arise from the endometrium, myometrium or the ovaries. These structures can be investigated using transvaginal sonography (TVS) with or without saline sonography. Transvaginal sonography has radically changed the way we can investigate abnormal menstrual bleeding because it has enabled the gynaecologist to obtain high resolution images of the uterus and ovaries. However because of advances in technology it has become feasible to use transvaginal sonography with saline sonography as a primary diagnostic tool in the investigation of abnormal menstrual bleeding during a single consultation.

Citation
Ngu A. The role of saline sonography in investigation of abnormal menstrual bleeding. ASUM Bulletin 2003.1:40-42.