The value of magnetic resonance imaging in investigating complex atypical hyperplasia of the endometrium

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been recommended to rule out myometrial invasion or distant metastasis before treatment for complex atypical hyperplasia (CAH). This study aimed to evaluate whether preoperative MRI in patients diagnosed with CAH on initial biopsy will have any impact on their management.

A retrospective study of women diagnosed with CAH on initial endometrial biopsy that subsequently had hysterectomies. Definitive diagnosis was established at histology of the hysterectomy specimens and compared with preoperative MRI findings.

Preoperative MRI scan was performed in 33 of 106 patients and myometrial invasion was reported in 12 patients with final histology diagnosing endometrial cancer in 10 patients. Twenty-one out of 33 cases were reported as no invasion on MRI but nine patients were confirmed with endometrial cancer on histology. Of the thirty-three patients diagnosed with endometrial cancer, twenty had stage 1a cancer, eight had stage 1b and five had stage 2 cancer. Twenty-seven patients had grade 1 and six patients had grade 2 cancer with no high-grade subtypes.

In our series, we found that MRI had no value in the management of CAH. Thirty-three endometrioid endometrial cancers (31%) were identified and we found no high-risk subtypes, and simple hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy would be performed and the few stage 2 cases diagnosed were microscopic and would not have been diagnosed on MRI.