Ultraschall in der Medizin : Organ der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Ultraschall in der Medizin, [der] Österreichischen Gesellschaft für Ultraschall in der Medizin, [der] Schweizerischen Gesellschaft für Ultraschall in Medizin und Biologie
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In obstetrics the main advantage of transvaginal sonography is in the first trimester. It is possible to diagnose normal or abnormal pregnancy or ectopic pregnancy earlier and more exactly than with transabdominal ultrasound. Furthermore different foetal malformations can be detected within the first trimester. ⋯ However, transvaginal scanning can be a useful adjunct in cases where the foetal head is deeply engaged or for the visualisation of a foetal organ that is close to the vaginal probe. Transvaginal colour Doppler as well as transvaginal 3 D-volume scanning represent new aspects of transvaginal sonography in obstetrics and gynaecology. These techniques will provide progress especially in tumour diagnosis in the lower pelvis in the future.
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Tumour cells appear spontaneously in the blood of tumour patients. However, the formation of metastases depends not only on the number of tumour cells, but also to a large degree on the defence status of the patient. According to the experiments presented here, fine needle puncture can slightly increase tumour cell migration. ⋯ The incidence of metastases in the puncture channel after fine needle biopsy of tumours of various organs is between 0.003 and 0.005% and is hence low. Nevertheless, indication for fine needle puncture of malignant processes should be considered very critically. However, if the use of the puncture leads one to expect therapeutic consequences that are of relevance for the patient, the doctor should not hesitate to employ this method which has a high informative value.