Sonographic Findings in Patients with First Trimester Vaginal Bleeding in Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital

Abstract

Background: Vaginal bleeding in early pregnancy is a common presentation in acute gyneacological settings. Ultrasonography is a popular and  faster option for evaluating patients with these conditions. This is because it is a readily available, safe, and non-invasive imaging method for  evaluating pregnancies, especially in the first trimester.

Objective: To assess thesonographic findings in pregnant patients with first-trimester vaginal bleeding.

Method: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study from patient’s record that was presented to the radiology department for a pelvic ultrasound on account of vaginal bleeding in their first trimester pregnancies for the year 2020. A prepared data collection sheet was used to document the  sonographic findings for further analysis. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 16 and the results were presented in tables.

Results: A total of 120  pregnant patients were recruited, with their ages ranging from 17- 47 years. The mean age was 29.59± 6.68 years.  Threatened abortion was the common finding (32.5%), followed by complete abortion (30.8%), incomplete abortion (24.2%), missed abortion (5%),  and ectopic pregnancy (3.3%). Anembyonic pregnancy had (2%) while inevitable abortion and molar gestation had (1.7%) each.

Conclusion: Ultrasonography has proven to be a reliable diagnostic tool for patients with the first trimester bleeding Threatened and incomplete  abortion were the common sonographic findings. Patients presenting with this clinical indication stand a chance to enjoy the timely results from  ultrasound which will facilitate physicians' decision on the next ideal management for better outcomes.