The Role of Ultrasound in Removal of Non-Palpable Contraceptive Implants

Background: Implanon is a single, semi-rigid rod containing 68 mg of the desogestrel metabolite, etonogestrel, which is released at a rate of 60–70 µg/day. It provides effective contraception for 3 years. This implant system is inserted under local anesthesia, sub dermally into the upper medial aspect of the non-dominant arm, and is normally invisible. In thin women an impression may be noticeable and the capsule can always be felt if it has been inserted correctly Aim of the work was to evaluate safety and efficacy of ultrasound in localization and to guide removal of non-palpable contraceptive implants to decrease surgical intervention. Patient and Methods; This single arm clinical trial (Quasi Experimental study) was conducted in Obstetrics and Gynecology, Al-Azhar University Faculty of Medicine, Damietta. The study included 80 patients selected from attendee of Obstetrics and Gynecology outpatient clinics of Al Azhar University Hospital (New Damitta) and Minyat El-Nasr hospital with non-palpable implanon for localization and removal. Result: Mean age of included patient was 34.8±1.7. Mean depth of implant was 7.2±1.5. Mean time needed for implant removal was 7.4±6.3. All patients had succeeded implant removal without any complications reported. So, there is a significant relation between time needed for implant removal and Implant depth. Conclusion: The use of ultrasound in localization and guiding the removal of non-palpable contraceptive implants is safe and effective technique to decrease surgical intervention.