Fertility Treatment Outcomes After Follicle Tracking With Standard 2-Dimensional Sonography Versus 3-Dimensional Sonography-Based Automated Volume Count: Prospective Study.

OBJECTIVES: The use of sonography-based Automated Volume Count (SonoAVC; GE Healthcare, Kretz, Zipf, Austria) leads to substantially lower intraobserver and interobserver variability with a considerable advantage in time gain for both the physician and patient. It offers the possibility of continuous training and standardization of follicular monitoring. Manual and automated follicular measurements during in vitro fertilization (IVF) are reported to be comparable during gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist treatment. The aim of our study was to evaluate the effect of follicle tracking with 3-dimensional (3D) SonoAVC on treatment outcomes in GnRH antagonist IVF cycles.

METHODS: A prospective trial included 54 women undergoing their first to fourth GnRH antagonist IVF cycles. Follicle tracking from the initiation of ovarian stimulation until the day of oocyte retrieval and timing of oocyte retrieval was done either by conventional 2-dimensional (2D) sonography or 3D SonoAVC (open-labeled parallel assignment). In both groups, recombinant human chorionic gonadotropin was injected when there were at least 3 leading follicles measuring 17 mm. The primary outcome was the oocyte maturation rate, and secondary outcomes were the fertilization rate and clinical pregnancy rate.

RESULTS: The number of retrieved oocytes, number and rate of mature oocytes, fertilization rate, and clinical pregnancy rate were similar for 2D sonography and 3D SonoAVC. On a multivariate regression analysis, the use of 3D sonography was not a significant independent predictor of mature oocytes or clinical pregnancy rates.

CONCLUSIONS: Follicle tracking with 3D sonographic follicular volume measurements does not achieve better fertility outcomes than standard 2D sonography.