Two-dimensional ultrasound results in underestimation of the ovarian follicle size compared to automated three-dimensional imaging in women undergoing IVF.

Background: Traditionally, for the assessment of follicle growth during IVF, two-dimensional (2D) transvaginal ultrasound (US) is used. In the past few years three-dimensional (3D) US has also been introduced.

Objectives: To compare follicular sizes between 2 and 3D ultrasound imaging on the final day of controlled ovarian stimulation.

Methods: A prospective observational cohort study including 121 women undergoing controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) between January 2017 and July 2018. All women were assessed by transvaginal 2D and 3D ultrasonography to measure ovarian follicle dimensions on the final day of COS.

Results: The mean difference in paired comparisons between the 3D and 2D US measurements in 25 women with monofollicular development was + 1.6 ± 2.5 mm for the x-dimension and + 1.7 ± 2.4 mm for the y-dimension; and in the total number of 1197 paired measurements of follicles the mean difference + 2.1 ± 3.3 mm and + 1.8 ± 3.9 mm for the x- and y-dimension respectively. In all cases the paired t-test showed that differences were statistically significant (p < 0.01). Further it was conjectured that the 2D underestimation results from the inherent difficulty to precisely place the US probe simultaneously on the perpendicular maximal of the x and y follicle diameters, leading to measurement errors that, by theory, are normally distributed. Running Monte-Carlo simulations based on these measurement errors it was found that both the mean difference and standard deviation are of the same magnitude as the ones found in real measurements, thus proving the conjecture.

Conclusions: The utilisation of 3D US results in different measurements of the follicular dimensions, and volumes, when compared to conventional 2D US. The differences in the x- and y-dimensions may affect the outcome of an IVF cycle as they are used to define the day of triggering final oocyte maturation, which is associated with the yield of mature oocytes and the probability of live birth.