2. Outline
Introduction
Indication
Preparation for the examination
Scanning techniques
Sonographic features of normal uterus
Congenital uterine malformations
Leiomyomas(fibroids)
Adenomyosis
Endometrial abnormalities
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3. Introduction
US is the optimal imaging modality for the
evaluation of uterus
2 approaches based on the type of uterine
pathology being evaluated
◦ Transabdominal
◦ Transvaginal
Transvaginal approach is preferred
◦ Higher resolution
◦ Closer proximity to pelvic organs
◦ Allows for direct contact
Transabdominal for large uterine masses
◦ Extend uterus outside of the pelvis
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4. Indication
Pelvic pain
Dysmenorrhea( painfull menses)
Amenorrhea(absence of menses)
Menorrhagia (excessive menstrual bleeding)
Metrorhagia (irregular uterine bleeding)
Menometrorrhagia
Follow up of previously detected abnormality
Evaluation,monitoring,and/or treatment of infertility patient
Delayed menses or vaginal bleeding in a prepubertal child
Postmenopausal bleeding
Signs or symptoms of pelvic infection
Evaluation of congenital uterine anomalies
Localization of an intrauterine contraceptvie device
Urinary incontinence or pelvic organ prolapse
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5. Preparation for examination
Transvaginal
◦ Empty bladder
◦ Dorsal lithotomy position
◦ Legs flexed
◦ Perineum at the edge of the table
Transabdominal
◦ Full bladder
◦ Supine
◦ Don’t over-distend bladder
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6. Scanning techniques
Transabdominal
◦ use 2 planes
Longtiudinal
Transverse
◦ Check for the orientation of uterus
◦ Assess the uterine size and shape
◦ Assess the myometrium
◦ Assess the endometrial status and measure the
thickness
◦ Assess the cervix
◦ Look for free fluid in the pouch of douglass
◦ Check the ovaries and adnexae
◦ Assess bladder
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9. Con…
Transvaginal approach
◦ Start with longitudinal scan
Reference notch on the transducer at the 12
o’clock position
Uterine fundus , uterine isthmus and cervix is
seen
Uterine length is meaured from the fundus to
the external os
Depth (height ) and endometial thickness is
also measured perpendicular to the length
Assess the endometrium
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10. Con…
◦ Transverse view
Rotate the transducer 90 degrees
counterclockwise from longitudinal position
Fan the probe in the superior –inferior direction
until the widest transverse view of the uteus is
displayed
Then measure the maximum width of the
uterus
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11. Con…
◦ Advantages
High frequency transducers with better
resolution
Exam of pts who are unable to fill their bladder
Exam of obese pts
Exam of retroverted uterus
Better distinction b/n adnexal masses and
bowel loops
Better detail of a pelvic lesion
Better detail of the endometrium
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12. Con…
◦ Contraindications
Virgin pts
Pts who are not willing to the exam
Pts with narrow introitus or vagina, who
experience discomfort at attempted insertions
of the transducer
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15. Sonographic features of normal
uterus
Uterus is primarily a muscular organ
located in the true pelvis
Is smoothly contoured and pear
shaped
has the urinary bladder anteriorly and
the rectosigmoid colon posteriorly
Space b/n uterus and rectosigmoid
colon is the cul-de-sac
◦ Most dependant area in the peritoneal
cavity
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18. Con…
Has 4 anatomical parts
◦ Fundus
Dome-shaped upper most aspect
Laterally extends into the interstitial part of
each fallopian tube
◦ Corpus
Extends from fundus to cervix
◦ Isthmus
Junction b/n corpus and cervix
◦ cervix
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19. Con…
Uterine size vary with age
In neonatal- cervix is much longer
than the body/fundus
Prepubertal- body half the size of
cervix
Adult (nulliparous)-cervix equals body
Adult (multiparous)-body/fundus is 2x
the cervix
Postmenopausal-overall organ
atrophy 19
23. Con…
Length of a normal
◦ Nulliparous uterus is 6-8.5 cm and in
◦ Multiparous uterus is 8-10.5 cm
Depth (height)
◦ Nulliparous 2-4 cm
◦ Multiparous 4-6 cm
Widest transverse plane
◦ Nulliparous 3-5 cm
◦ Multiparous 4-6 cm
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24. Con…
Its important to describe orientation of the
uterus
2 terms used are flexion and version
Flexion is the bending of the uterus on its self
◦ When there is an angle b/n the cervix/lower
uterine segment and the fundal portion
◦ Anteroflexed when the angle is an acute or
obtuse angle (<180 degrees) and with the fundal
portion close to bladder
◦ Retroflexed uterus is one with a reflex
angle(>180 degrees) and with fundal portion
close to rectosigmoid colon.
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25. Con…
Version describes displacement of the
entire uterus forwards or backwards
◦ Anteverted fundal portion is close to
bladder
◦ Retroverted when the fundal region is
close to the rectosigmoid
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31. Con…
Uterus has three wall layers
◦ Endometrium-inner most layer
◦ Myometrium-middle layer , thickest layer
◦ Perimetrium-outer most layer , serosa ,
composed of fibrous connective tissues
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32. Con…
Myometrium
◦ Less echogenic than the endometrium
◦ Cab be divided into 3 layers
Inner or junctional layer
Middle layer
Outer layer
◦ The inner and outer layers are thin and
hypoechoic
◦ The middle layer is thick and homogeneous
◦ The arcuate vessels separate the middle
from the outer layer
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34. Con…
Endometrium
◦ Undergoes significant changes during
menstrual cycle
◦ 5-14 mm uniform thickness in reproductive
age is normal
◦ Divided into inner functional layer and the
outer basal layer
◦ In the immediate postmenstrual phase , it
appears as a thin echogenic line and
measures b/n 3-8mm
◦ During proliferative phase-anterior and
posterior hypoechoic layer separated in the
midline by an echogenic central line
Trilaminar layer
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35. Con…
◦ During late proliferative period
endometrial lining is 8-12 mm in thickness
◦ After ovulation- uniformly hyperechoic
endometrium
◦ Postmenopause endometrial thickness of
4mm or less (if not on HRT) is considered
normal
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40. Congenital uterine malformations
Its when mullarian duct is not developed
correctly
◦ Agenesis
◦ Defective vertical or lateral fusion
◦ Resorption failure
Leads to
◦ Uterine agenesis
◦ Arcuate uterus
◦ Unicornuate uterus
◦ Uterine duplicational anomalies
Uterus didelphys
Bicornuate uterus
Septate uterus
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41. Uterine fibriods
Most common gynecological tumor
Vast majority are situated in the uterine
body
Smooth muscle with varying amount of
Connective tissue
Estrogen dependent growth
Have pseudocapsules , which are
formed of compressed surrounding
myometrium
Nature of clinical presentation depends
on size and position of the tumor
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42. Con…
Usually are multiple and asymptomatic
3 main types
◦ Intramural-with in the myometrium with
minimal or no bulging into serosa or
endometrium
◦ Submucosal-A significant portion of the
leiomyoma is bulging into the endometrial
cavity
◦ Subserosal-A significant portion of the
leiomyoma is bulging into the serosal
surface 42
44. Con…
Sonographic features of leiomyomas
◦ Solid echogenic mass arising from the
myometrium
◦ Well defined contour(pseudocapsule)
◦ Whorled appearance due to smooth muslcle and
connective tissue arranged in concentric pattern
◦ Significant attenuation of ultrasound beam
◦ Distorted outer contour of uterus or endometrial
cavity
◦ Minimal to moderate vascularity on color doppler
◦ Color doppler can on occassions identifay a stalk
and connect it to the uterus in pedunclated
leiomyomas
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51. Adenomyosis
Is also a common condition that affects
women in the late reproductive years
Is the presence of ectopic endometrial
glands and stroma with in the
myometrium
Symptoms related to adenomyosis
include
dysmenorrhea,dyspareunia,chronic
pelvic pain and menometrorrhagia.
Usually presents as a diffuse disease
involving the entire myometrium but can
also present in a focal area
◦ adenomyoma
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52. Con…
Ultrasound findings in adenomyosis
◦ Globular enlargment of the uterus
◦ Anechoic spaces in the myometrium
◦ Asymmetric anterior and posterior uterine
wall thickening
◦ Subendometrial echogenic linear
striations
◦ Heterogeneous echo texture
◦ Obscure endometrial-myometrial border
◦ Thickening of the transition zone
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56. Endometrial abnormalities
Endometrial polyps
◦ Common finding in women of 35 to 50
years with abnormal vaginal bleeding
◦ Arises from the basal layer of the
endometrium
◦ Usually vascularised by a single vessel
that passes through its stalk
◦ Unresponsive to steriod hormones
therefore their appearance remians
similar throughout the menstural cycle
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57. Con…
◦ On ultrasound , appear as distinct
hyperechoic areas with in the
endometrium
◦ Optimally visualized in the proliferative
phase
◦ The incidence of endometrial carcinoma
arising with in a polyp is less than 1%
◦ Sonohysterography has been shown to
be a superior imaging modality in the
evaluation of intracavitery endometrial
lesions
◦ Top Ddx for endometrial polyps is 57
58. Con…
◦ Differentiating sonographic features
Polyps are contained with in the endometrial cavity
whereas leiomyomas extend into the myometrium
Polyps are more echogenic than the myometrium
whereas echogenicity of leiomyomas is similar to
myometrium
Polyps tend to have a visible vascular pedicle on
color doppler and are homogeneous in echotexture
Leiomyomas lift the endometrial lining
Leiomyomas tend to shadow the ultrasound beam
Polyps have narrow base of attachment to the
underlaying myometrium
Leiomyomas are broad-based
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62. Con…
Endometrial hyperplasia
◦ Results from the prolonged action of
estrogens that are unopposed by
ptogesterone
◦ More common in women who have high
circulating levels of estrogen
E.g poly-cystic ovaries,obesity and women on
HRT
◦ Considered as Precursor of endometrial
carcinoma
◦ 3 types
Cystic , adenomatous and atypical
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63. Con…
◦ On US , the endometrium is thickened
(>10 mm)demonstrates increased
echogenicity
◦ Can be focal or diffuse
◦ Final diagnosis is made histologically
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65. Con…
Endometrial cancer
◦ The most common gynacological
malignancy
◦ Post menopausal bleeding
◦ Transvaginal ultrasound is the initial
imaging investigation of choice
Appears as thickening of endometrium
Myometrial invasion
◦ If the endometrium thickness is greater
than 4mm , further evaluation is needed
with endometrial sampling
sonohysterography or hysteroscopy
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68. Con…
Endometrial adhesions and RPC
◦ Intrauterine adhesions are clearly visible
on sonohysterography as thick or thin
echogenic bands that attach to the
endometrial walls
◦ RPC appear as an echogenic mass within
endometrial cavity
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