Is ultrasound the new gold standard for the diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy?

Abstract

Ultrasound technology and in particular the use of transvaginal imaging has taken the guesswork out of ectopic pregnancy diagnosis. The vast majority of ectopic pregnancies can and should be diagnosed with a high degree of certainty before management is commenced. More and more women with ectopic pregnancy are eligible for nonsurgical intervention because ultrasound has enabled clinicians to make the diagnosis much earlier in its natural history. We believe that laparoscopy, traditionally the gold standard in diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy, should not be used in modern management. There is more and more evidence to support the use of transvaginal ultrasound as the primary diagnostic tool for ectopic pregnancy. In this review we hoped to demonstrate that transvaginal ultrasound is the new gold standard for the diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy.