Longitudinal assessment of ovarian perifollicular and endometrial vascularity by power Doppler ultrasound in pregnant and non-pregnant cycles in the IVF setting.

Abstract

This longitudinal study aimed to compare ovarian perifollicular and endometrial blood flow (PFBF and EBF, respectively) during the follicular phase in pregnant and non-pregnant IVF cycles. Serial transvaginal scans were performed in 15 subjects undergoing IVF treatment. Both PFBF and EBF were subjectively graded (grades 0-4 for PFBF and grades 1-3 for EBF). After confirmation of clinical pregnancy, the treatment cycles were grouped into 'Pregnant' and 'Non-pregnant' cycles. Ovarian PFBF and EBF were retrospectively compared between the two groups. In pregnant cycles, the proportion of large (> or = 15 mm) follicles with high (24) grade PFBF increased with time throughout the follicular phase, and the proportion of large follicles with poor (0-1) grade PFBF decreased. In non-pregnant cycles these trends were reversed. There was no difference in EBF between the two groups. The pattern of ovarian PFBF but not EBF may be predictive of treatment outcome.