The Effect of the Urinary Bladder in Obstetrical Sonography

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Observations of random obstetrical cases out of a large-volume practice are presented to demonstrate the often overlooked effects of filling the urinary bladder for obstetrical sonography. The effects, predominantly evident in the 2nd trimester, include: pressure effects on the lower uterine segment, displacement of the cervix and/or corpus of the uterus, rotation, flexion, version and tilting of the uterus. These events may affect the perception of placenta location and fetal position. This is especially important in the diagnosis of placenta previa in the 2nd trimester. Many instances of placental migration may be due to this phenomenon. Implications for amiocentesis are briefly discussed.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: