Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine, Vol 20, Issue 8 821-827, Copyright © 2001 by American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine
Sonographic and Doppler characteristics of the corpus luteum: can they predict pregnancy outcome?
M. C. Frates, P. M. Doubilet, S. M. Durfee, D. N. Di Salvo, F. C. Laing, D. L. Brown, C. B. Benson and J. A. Hill
Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
OBJECTIVE: To determine whether there is a relationship between gray scale
or Doppler characteristics of the corpus luteum and first-trimester
pregnancy outcome. METHODS: We conducted a prospective study of patients
with spontaneous singleton pregnancies between 5 and 8 weeks' gestation.
The corpus luteum size, sonographic appearance, resistive index, and peak
systolic velocity were measured on transvaginal sonography. Maternal use of
exogeneous progesterone was recorded. Only patients with known
first-trimester outcome were included. RESULTS: There were 201 study
patients. The corpus luteum could be visualized in 197 (98%) and had a mean
+/- SD size of 1.9 +/- 0.6 cm, a mean resistive index of 0.50 +/- 0.08, and
a peak systolic velocity of 20.5 +/- 11.2 cm/s. There were 151
first-trimester survivors (75.1 %) and 50 spontaneous losses (24.9%). In a
comparison of the survivors and losses, there was no significant difference
in mean corpus luteum size (1.9 versus 1.7 cm; P = .10, t test), mean
resistive index (0.50 versus 0.50; P = .71, t test), peak systolic velocity
(21 versus 19 cm/s; P = .29, t test), or sonographic appearance (P = .78,
chi2 test). The lack of association between corpus luteum characteristics
and outcome persisted when cases were stratified by progesterone use and
the presence or absence of a heartbeat on the study sonogram. CONCLUSION:
There is no apparent relationship between the characteristics of the corpus
luteum and first-trimester pregnancy outcome.
