Pregnancies following ultrasound-guided drainage of tubo-ovarian abscess

摘要

Objective: To study fertility among women treated by means of ultrasound-guided drainage and antibiotics for tubo-ovarian abscess (TOA). Design: Retrospective cohort study. Setting: A tertiary referral center. Patient(s): One hundred women of reproductive age treated for TOA between June 1986 and July 2003. Intervention(s): Transvaginal ultrasound-guided drainage of TOA was performed in all patients. The procedure was repeated if a substantial amount of pus was seen using ultrasonography 2-5 days after the initial aspiration, and repeated later if necessary. Main Outcome Measure(s): Frequency of naturally conceived pregnancies. Result(s): Twenty of 38 (52.6%; 95% CI 36.5-68.9%) women who intended to have a child achieved pregnancy naturally and became mothers. In addition, 7 (50%) of 14 women who were not on birth control on a regular basis became pregnant. No ectopic pregnancies were registered. Conclusion(s): Ultrasound-guided drainage of TOA in combination with antibiotics seems to preserve fertility in approximately half of the patients.