Oocyte retrieval under the guidance of a vaginal transducer: evaluation of patient acceptance

Abstract

Follicle puncture under the guidance of ultrasound has now been used for some years. The most important advantage of the ultrasound-guided technique compared with the laparoscopic technique is that the former can be performed under local anaesthesia. However, both the trans-vesical and the perurethral ultrasound-guided puncturing routes may be quite painful for the patient. For that reason we have developed a trans-vaginal follicle puncture technique using a vaginal transducer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the patients' experience of pain with this new technique. Scanning of follicles was performed using a specially designed vaginal transducer that makes the patients having a full bladder unnecessary. Local anaesthesia was applied as a paracervical block. Follicles were then punctured through the vagina with a needle inserted through a needle guide attached to the transducer. Fifty-one patients answered a questionnaire about their experience of the puncture procedure. Only 10% of the patients found the puncture painful. Ninety-eight per cent of the patients felt no anxiety about going through the procedure again. We therefore conclude that trans-vaginal oocyte pick-up using a vaginal transducer is very well accepted by most women.