Oocyte retrieval under the guidance of a vaginal transducer: evaluation of patient acceptance

Abstract

Follicle puncture under the guidance of ultrasound has now been used for some years. The most important advantage of the ultrasound-guided technique compared with the laparoscopic technique is that the former can be performed under local anaesthesia. However, both the trans-vesical and the perurethral ultrasound-guided puncturing routes may be quite painful for the patient. For that reason we have developed a trans-vaginal follicle puncture technique using a vaginal transducer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the patients' experience of pain with this new technique. Scanning of follicles was performed using a specially designed vaginal transducer that makes the patients having a full bladder unnecessary. Local anaesthesia was applied as a paracervical block. Follicles were then punctured through the vagina with a needle inserted through a needle guide attached to the transducer. Fifty-one patients answered a questionnaire about their experience of the puncture procedure. Only 10% of the patients found the puncture painful. Ninety-eight per cent of the patients felt no anxiety about going through the procedure again. We therefore conclude that trans-vaginal oocyte pick-up using a vaginal transducer is very well accepted by most women.

Admixture of propofol and alfentanil

“…No data were provided on the quality of sedation or recovery characteristics. Hammarberg and colleagues [8] reported the same technique performed on 51 Swedish women following a combination of prernedication with 75 mg pethidine and the application of a paracervical block with 10 ml of 1% lignocaine; 28% of these patients required peroperative midazolam and 44% described pain during the procedure.…”

Acupuncture for pain relief of women undergoing transvaginal oocyte retrieval

“…Types of analgesia that have been used clinically for oocyte extraction include conscious sedation, [ 6 , 7 ] general anesthesia, [ 8 ] local injection as a paracervical block (PCB) [ 9 – 14 ] and patient-controlled analgesia. PCB is the main analgesic method and has been widely used in some IVF units [ 15 , 16 ] to relief pain. And a research has proved that the use of lignocaine in PCB did reach statistical significance.…”

Evaluation of complications developing during and after transvaginal ultrasound — guided oocyte retrieval

“…Whereas oocyte collection has been performed laparoscopically in the past, transvaginal ultrasound-guided oocyte aspiration under intravenous sedation is now the standard technique [1]. This procedure was first described by Wickland et al [2] in 1985 and is widely used today in the practice of assisted reproductive techniques [3,4]. This simple, effective, and popular method represents the gold standard technique.…”