Endometrial stripe thickness as a predictor of ectopic pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the potential utility of endometrial stripe thickness in predicting pregnancy outcome in women with an hCG less than a discriminatory zone.

DESIGN

Retrospective case review.

SETTING

University emergency department.

PATIENTS: Women who presented with symptomatic early pregnancies after a spontaneous conception with an hCG level less than a discriminatory zone evaluated to rule out an ectopic pregnancy (EP).

INTERVENTIONS: Measure endometrial stripe thickness by transvaginal ultrasound.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Initial endometrial stripe thickness was correlated to eventual pregnancy outcomes.

RESULTS

The mean initial endometrial stripe thickness of patients eventually diagnosed with an intrauterine pregnancy (13.42 +/- 0.68 mm), spontaneous abortion (9.28 +/- 0.88 mm), and an EP (5.95 +/- 0.35 mm) were all statistically different from each other. Ninety-seven percent of pregnancies found to have an endometrial stripe thickness < or = 8 mm were abnormal (EP or spontaneous abortion).

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggest a role of the evaluation of the endometrial stripe thickness in the detection of abnormal pregnancies in patients presenting for evaluation of a symptomatic early pregnancy with an hCG below a discriminatory zone. Initial endometrial stripe thickness measured in patients with an EP is significantly thinner than in those with an intrauterine pregnancy.