Relationship Between Uterine and Ovarian Arterial Blood Flow Measured by Doppler Sonography at Different Stages of Puberty

Abstract

Summary: Objective: Measuring blood flow using a special form of color Doppler ultrasonography can help radiologists Co identify the stages of development of organs, such as the uterus and ovary. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between arterial blood flowto the uterus and ovaries at different stages of puberty. Materials and Methods: Sixty girls referred to the Children's Medical Center in Tehran for the evaluation of pubertal stages were included in the study. They were divided into three subgroups: girls without primary puberty signs (n = 20); girls with these puberty signs but without the beginning of menstruation (n = 20); and girls with signs of puberty and menstruation (n = 20). Uterus and ovary volumes were measured with the use of a 3.5-MHz convex transducer (Logic 500 Pro; General Electric, Milwaukee, Wl, USA) and Doppler flow measurements of the uterine vessels were performed transabdominally with a 3.5-MHz color Doppler system (AU4 Idea; Esaote Biomedica, Genoa, Italy). Results: We found no significant differences between the groups in terms of either resistance index or pulsatility index of the right ovary, left ovary or uterus. However, there were relationships between the volume of the uterus and pubertal stages, and also between the volume of the ovaries and these stages. Conclusion: Uterine and ovarian arterial blood flow, measured by Doppler sonography, was not useful for the evaluation of pubertal stages. However, it should be investigated with a greater sample size. Key Words: blood flow, Doppler sonography, ovary, puberty, uterine