Correlation of color Doppler ultrasound and pathological grading in endometrial carcinoma

Given the role of angiogenesis in tumor growth, the evaluation of tissue vascularization by Doppler ultrasound has been thought to be useful in the prediction of malignant endometrial changes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of transvaginal color Doppler ultrasound (TV-CDU) findings in the differentiation between endometrial hyperplasia and endometrial carcinoma and its relation with pathologic findings.

This observational study included 48 women with either endometrial hyperplasia (n = 10) or endometrial carcinoma (n = 38) that had been diagnosed by endometrial biopsy. The intratumoral blood flow characteristics including resistance (RI), pulsatility (PI) and peak systolic velocity (PSV) index were analyzed using TV-CDU before surgery. Endometrial thickness and myometrial invasion also was assessed in all patients using gray-scale ultrasound. Then the relationship between these ultrasound findings and histologic results was evaluated with EC.

RI, PI, and PSV indices in endometrial carcinoma were significantly higher than endometrial hyperplasia (P < 0.0001). There was also a significant difference between the mean endometrial thickness between the two groups of endometrial hyperplasia and endometrial carcinoma (P < 0.0001). Intratumoral blood flow index were higher in high grade tumors than in low grade tumors (P < 0.05).

TV-CDU may be useful to show a difference the difference in tumor angiogenesis between endometrial hyperplasia and endometrial carcinoma and therefore be used in differentiation of endometrial hyperplasia and carcinoma. Evaluation of intratumoral blood flow using RI, PI, and PSV indices in patients with endometrial carcinoma may be helpful distinguishing between low-grade and high-grade tumors as well as preoperative tumor invasion before surgery.