Infiltrating endometriosis: diagnostic keys in abdominal ultrasonography

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Gastroenterology
• Urology

Background:

• Endometriosis involves endometrial tissue outside the uterus, with bowel and urinary tract involvement presenting nonspecific symptoms.
• Extragenital endometriosis requires specific diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.
• While transvaginal ultrasonography and MRI are well-documented, abdominal ultrasonography findings for infiltrating endometriosis are less described.

Purpose of the Study:

• To illustrate the abdominal ultrasonography findings of infiltrating endometriosis in the bowel and urinary tract.
• To demonstrate the utility of abdominal ultrasonography in identifying extragenital endometriosis.
• To highlight the importance of recognizing these signs for differential diagnosis in pelvic pain.

Main Methods:

• Review and illustration of abdominal ultrasonography images.
• Correlation of imaging findings with known characteristics of infiltrating endometriosis.
• Focus on extragenital endometriosis involving the bowel and urinary tract.

Main Results:

• Abdominal ultrasonography can reveal characteristic signs of infiltrating endometriosis in the bowel and urinary tract.
• The technique is useful for identifying disease manifestations previously described with other imaging modalities.
• Specific ultrasonographic features aid in the diagnosis of extragenital endometriosis.

Conclusions:

• Abdominal ultrasonography is a valuable tool for diagnosing extragenital endometriosis.
• Familiarity with the ultrasonographic appearance of endometriosis improves diagnostic accuracy and patient management for pelvic pain.