Transvaginal compared with transvesical ultrasonography for recovery of oocytes for in vitro fertilisation.

Oocyte recovery guided by transvaginal ultrasonography has been introduced into in vitro fertilisation units and compares favourably with laparoscopic oocyte recovery. 2 The transition from laparoscopy to ultrasonography may, however, account for part of this difference-for example, anaesthetic requirements and risks of pneumoperitoneum are reduced. In Oxford the in vitro fertilisation unit is an outpatient service and used transvesical ultrasonography3 until transvaginal scanning was introduced. Thus we were able to make a direct assessment of the value of oocyte recovery by transvaginal scanning.