SERVICES
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Minimally Invasive Ultra Sound Procudures |
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| Ultrasound technology has made dramatic
advances in recent years. Ultrasound now offers infertile patients
newer treatment options not available before. Modern surgical
techniques have progressively become less and less invasive
- all to the patient's benefit! From laparotomy to laparoscopy,
and now to ultrasound guided procedures, we are witnessing a
change in the gynecologist's armamentarium from the knife to
the endoscope to the guided needle! |
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| The benefits to the patient are many and
include: reduced costs, reduced hospitalization, reduced risk
of complications and better preservation of fertility, with
increased chance of conception for the future. |
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| Ultrasound-guided procedures can be used
to treat a variety of problems seen in the infertile woman. |
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| Egg Pickup for IVF |
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| The use of vaginal ultrasound for egg pickup
has made egg retrieval a short, simple and inexpensive procedure,
which can be performed in a day-care unit, under sedation and
local anesthesia. The ovaries are normally present in the Pouch
of Douglas, and are very accessible transvaginally. Moreover,
the presence of adhesions does not interfere with egg collection. |
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| Ovarian Cyst Aspiration |
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| An ovarian cyst is a very common condition
in which fluid collects in the ovary. However, cysts that are
more than 5 cm in size need to be treated as they can cause
problems (eg twisting and rupture). Normally, surgery had to
be done to remove these cysts - and often this damaged the surrounding
normal ovary as well. With ultrasound-guidance, we can stick
a needle from the vagina into the cyst, and empty the contents
(usually clear fluid) by sucking it out. This empties the cyst,
which often does not recur. |
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| Treatment of Ectopic Pregnancy |
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| With technological advances (ultrasound
and beta-HCG blood tests) the diagnosis of tubal pregnancy can
be made very early, usually before rupture. It can be treated
by injecting a toxic chemical, Methotrexate, into the sac, which
causes the tissue to die and then get reabsorbed, without any
surgery whatsoever. In more advanced tubal pregnancies, potassium
chloride can be injected directly into the heart of the baby
in the ectopic gestational sac, thus killing it and preventing
it from growing. |
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| Ultrasound-Guided Tubal Embryo and Gamete
Transfer for IVF and GIFT techniques |
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| Techniques have been devised to pass a special
tube into the fallopian tubes through the vagina under ultrasound
guidance, so as to place the embryos and /or the gametes in
the fallopian tube. Since the tube offers a better environment
for the gametes and embryos than the uterine cavity, it is believed
that this will improve pregnancy rates. |
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