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A recent study evaluated the accuracy of POCUS in detecting retained products of conception (RPOC) in the emergency department.
In this study, a patient was considered positive for RPOC if they had heterogenous material in the endometrium measuring 10 mm or more. Color Doppler was not used for further evaluation, though it has been cited in obstetric literature as a helpful tool.
Among the 265 patients included, the prevalence of RPOC was 21.5%. POCUS had a sensitivity of 79.0 % and a specificity of 93.8 %.
The authors caution against the use of POCUS to diagnose RPOC in the setting of early pregnancy, as the endometrium can have a variable appearance, increasing the risk of a misdiagnosis. Of the 22 false positives identified, more than half were potentially viable pregnancies. Uterine fibroids can also lead to a heterogenous appearance of the uterus and can be another potential false positive.
References
Boivin Z, Barber D, Chimileski B, et al. Accuracy of point-of-care ultrasound in diagnosing retained products of conception. Am J Emerg Med. 2025;90:65-70. doi:10.1016/j.ajem.2025.01.032.