American Journal of Roentgenology, Vol 158, 843-847, Copyright © 1992 by American Roentgen Ray Society

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Can detection of the yolk sac in the first trimester be used to predict the outcome of pregnancy? A prospective sonographic study

AB Kurtz, L Needleman, RG Pennell, O Baltarowich, M Vilaro and BB Goldberg
Department of Radiology, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA 19107-5091.

Recent reports have indicated that identification of the yolk sac should precede the detection of the embryo in a normal first-trimester sonographic examination and that failure to visualize a yolk sac strongly suggests an abnormal intrauterine pregnancy. A first-trimester prospective study was performed in 163 normal and 49 abnormal consecutive singleton gestations. All women were examined both abdominally and transvaginally, with pregnancy outcome determined by delivery of a normal infant or a spontaneous abortion. The yolk sac was analyzed in all patients in whom an embryo was not identified (n = 76). When the yolk sac was identified, the following was found: by the abdominal approach with the mean sac diameter (MSD) less than 27 mm (n = 15), nine gestations were normal and six were abnormal, and by the transvaginal approach with the MSD less than 18 mm (n = 13), seven gestations were normal and six were abnormal. The presence of a yolk sac was not consistently predictive of a normal early pregnancy. When the yolk sac was also not identified, the following was found: abdominally with the MSD less than 27 mm (n = 41), 19 gestations were normal and 22 were abnormal, and transvaginally with the MSD less than 18 mm (n = 11), six gestations were normal and five were abnormal. Absence of the yolk sac was not consistently predictive of a spontaneous abortion. When using the MSD range (20-27 mm abdominally and 7-16 mm transvaginally), over which the yolk sac but not the embryo should be identified sonographically, the yolk sac was again not consistently visualized. On abdominal sonograms, the yolk sac was present and absent in three and 10 patients, respectively, for both normal and abnormal pregnancies. On transvaginal sonograms, the yolk sac was present and absent in seven and five normal gestations and in six and four abnormal gestations, respectively. The results of this study suggest that detection of the yolk sac in the first trimester is not an early predictor of pregnancy outcome.
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