Magnetic resonance imaging evaluation of incision healing after cesarean sections

Abstract.

The purpose of this study was to examine the healing period of incision scar in myometrial wall and the normal pelvis after cesarean sections by means of MRI. In this study 17 voluntary women were examined after their first delivery with cesarean section in the early postpartum period (first 5 days), and following this, three more times in 3-month intervals. The MRI examinations were performed on a 1.0-T system (Magnetom, Siemens, Erlangen, Germany), and sagittal T1-weighted (550/17 TR/TE) and T2-weighted (2000/80 TR/TE) spin-echo (SE) images of the pelvis were obtained. During follow-up examinations incision scar tissues lost their signals within the first 3 months on both SE sequences, and little alteration was observed in the subsequent tests. Zonal anatomy of the uterus reappeared completely 6 months after cesarean sections. The time for the involution of the uterus was independent of the zonal anatomy recovery, and the maximum involution was inspected within the first 3 months. In conclusion, the maturation time of myometrial scar tissue in uncomplicated cesarean sections, which can be evaluated by the signal alterations in MRI, is approximately 3 months, whereas the complete involution and the recovery of the zonal anatomy need at least 6 months.