Diagnostic Accuracy of Doppler Ultrasound in Ectopic Pregnancy

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of Doppler ultrasound in the detection of ectopic pregnancy. Methodology: This prospective observational study was conducted at PESSI Hospital, I-12, Islamabad, in collaboration with different hospitals for data collection. The study was carried out over a period of one year from October 2021 to September 2022. All pregnant women aged >17 years presenting with symptoms of ectopic pregnancy, regardless of parity, were included. All patients underwent color Doppler ultrasound using a dedicated machine. Subsequently, the patients were followed until they underwent surgical management, and the operative findings were meticulously recorded. Data were collected using a pre-designed proforma and analyzed with SPSS version 20. Results: The mean age of the participants was 31.53 years, and the average gestational age was 6.03 weeks. 35.0% of the participants had a positive family history. According to color Doppler ultrasound findings, the majority of cases (96.7%) were identified as positive for ectopic pregnancy, while surgical findings confirmed ectopic pregnancy in 93.3% of cases. The sensitivity of color Doppler ultrasound was 100%, specificity was 60%. The positive predictive value (PPV) was 94% and negative predictive value (NPV) was 100%, suggesting that it was 100% accurate in ruling out ectopic pregnancy. Conclusion: Color Doppler ultrasound was found to be a highly sensitive, reliable, and noninvasive tool in diagnosing ectopic pregnancy. However, the findings cannot be definitively applied due to limitations, particularly the small sample size. Further large-scale studies are strongly recommended for validation and confirmation of the findings.