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Pathologies of the uterine endometrial cavity: usual and unusual manifestations and pitfalls on magnetic resonance imaging

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Abstract

The endometrial cavity may demonstrate various imaging manifestations such as normal, reactive, inflammatory, and benign and malignant neoplasms. We evaluated usual and unusual magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of the uterine endometrial cavity, and described the diagnostic clues to differential diagnoses. Surgically proven pathologies of the uterine endometrial cavity were evaluated retrospectively with pathologic correlation. The pathologies included benign endometrial neoplasms such as endometrial hyperplasia and polyp, malignant endometrial neoplasms such as endometrial carcinoma and carcinosarcoma, endometrial–myometrial neoplasm such as endometrial stromal sarcoma, pregnancy-related lesions in the endometrial cavity such as gestational trophoblastic diseases (hydatidiform mole, invasive mole and choriocarcinoma) and placental polyp, myometrial lesions simulating endometrial lesions such as submucosal leiomyoma and some adenomyosis, endometrial neoplasms simulating myometrial lesions such as adenomyomatous polyp and endometrial lesions arising in the hemicavity of a septate/bicornate uterus, and fluid collections in the uterine cavity (hydro/hemato/pyometra). It is important to recognize various imaging findings in these diseases, in order to make a correct preoperative diagnosis.

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Abbreviations

MRI:

magnetic resonance imaging

T2-WI:

T2-weighted image

T1-WI:

T1-weighted image

SEE:

subendometrial enhancement

LGSS:

low-grade stromal sarcoma

HGSS :

high-grade stromal sarcoma

GTD:

gestational trophoblastic diseases

hCG:

human chorionic gonadotropin

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, University of Tokushima, 3-18-15, Kuramoto-cho, Tokushima, Japan

    Mayumi Takeuchi, Kenji Matsuzaki, Shusaku Yoshida & Hiromu Nishitani

  2. Department of Molecular and Environmental Pathology, University of Tokushima, Tokushima, Japan

    Hisanori Uehara

  3. Department of Radiology, Oe Kyoudo Hospital, Japan

    Hideki Shimazu

Authors
  1. Mayumi Takeuchi
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  2. Kenji Matsuzaki
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  3. Hisanori Uehara
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  4. Shusaku Yoshida
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  5. Hiromu Nishitani
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  6. Hideki Shimazu
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mayumi Takeuchi.

Additional information

This paper was presented at ECR 2004 (C-407) and awarded Magna Cum Laude

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Takeuchi, M., Matsuzaki, K., Uehara, H. et al. Pathologies of the uterine endometrial cavity: usual and unusual manifestations and pitfalls on magnetic resonance imaging. Eur Radiol 15, 2244–2255 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-005-2814-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-005-2814-x

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