Medicinski Glasnik (Aug 2005)
Uterine Lesions
Abstract
Transvaginal color and pulsed Doppler ultrasound depicts the endometrium in great details. The texture and thicknessof the endometrium are indicators of endometrial development, while blood flow analysis may be used as a bioassay of the uterine receptivity. This method can non-invasively detect uterine anomalies, endometrial polyps,submucous leiomyomas, intrauterine adhesions and other uterine causes that can lead to poor reproductive performance. Vascularization of the uterine tumors, if used together with analysis of morphology and size, can increase our accuracy in differentiation between uterine sarcoma and leiomyoma. It seems that the multiparameter sonographic approach, which includes morphology and size depicted by transvaginal ultrasonography and color flow imaging withpulsed Doppler analysis of neovascular signals,can help in diagnosis of uterine sarcoma in high-risk groups such as postmenopausal patients with a rapidly enlarging uterus. Therefore, serial measurements are recommended for evaluation of the myometrial density, follow-up of the tumoral growth, and detection of the impedance to blood flow.Only such complex observations can lead to proper diagnosis of these rare tumors with unpredictable prognosis. The application of transvaginal color Doppler to the postmenopausal population for screening of endometrial carcinoma may be a viable option if combined with ovarian screening in the same scan. In this way, the capital costs would be shared, and an oncological preventive medicine for women could be created. The use of this technique could also result in a reduction in dilatation and curettage operations with considerable saving of both the potential risks and economic costs of the operation.
