How to perform a gynaecological ultrasound in the paediatric or adolescent patient

Alison Deslandes; Catrina Pannucio; Shreya Parasivam; Marianne Balogh; Asha Short

doi:10.1002/ajum.12200

How to perform a gynaecological ultrasound in the paediatric or adolescent patient

Australas J Ultrasound Med. 2020 Feb 20;23(1):10-21. doi: 10.1002/ajum.12200. eCollection 2020 Feb.

Authors

Alison Deslandes^{1

2}, Catrina Pannucio^{1

3}, Shreya Parasivam^{1

3}, Marianne Balogh^{1

3}, Asha Short³

Affiliations

¹ Specialist Imaging Partners Adelaide South Australia Australia.
² University of South Australia Adelaide South Australia Australia.
³ Women's and Children's Hospital Adelaide South Australia Australia.

Abstract

Ultrasound is the first-line imaging modality in the assessment of the female reproductive system in all age groups. However, the paediatric and adolescent subset of patients present a particular set of challenges. These include technical challenges that come from largely being limited by transabdominal imaging as well as dealing with the often-complex social issues around the sexual health of adolescents. In addition, this group of patients has a unique set of pathologies that are not seen in the adult population and conversely, common gynaecological conditions affecting adults such as endometriosis and polycystic ovarian syndrome are difficult to diagnose in adolescents. Therefore, we propose that paediatric and adolescent gynaecological ultrasound requires a different approach. This paper summarises the differences in technique, common pathologies and touches on some of the relevant social issues that are unique to this population of patients.

Keywords: adolescent; gynaecology; paediatric; ultrasound.