Assessing the uterus sonographically can initially be challenging because in contrast to most organs, its shape and position is not uniform or fixed. Pelvic anatomy allows for the uterus to distort relative to proximate intestinal and urinary organs.
However, when scanning obstetric/gynecologic patients, you will be routinely expected to identify the size, shape and position of the uterus in any scanning plane. In this video, we illustrate the four most common uterine positions and their appearance sonographically, in order to build recognition skills.
Evaluating the location and relative position of anatomic reference points, organs, masses or abnormalities is a critical skill. This is especially true because many obstetric complications may be foreshadowed by specific uterine malpositions or physiological anomalies. As referenced earlier, by building your familiarity with the typical uterine appearance in distinct imaging planes, you will deliver the most ideal ultrasound studies, giving accurate measurements and identification of position.
Pegasus Lectures’ Quick Concepts series is focused on the underlying theory and practical application of science in ultrasound. These highlight topics that we, through our years of teaching, have found to be critical in building a strong foundation in ultrasound.
