Hypervascularity of the uterine wall during pregnancy: incidence, sonographic appearance, and obstetric implications

The authors report the incidence (20%) of hypervascularity of the uterine wall (decidual reaction) (1) in 106 pregnant women studied prospectively by ultrasound. An unusual case, which caused problems in diagnosis and management, is reported in detail. The relation between the location and extent of this finding and the location of the placenta is discussed. The authors think that this finding represents dilation of myometrial veins of uncertain etiology, and they conclude that the major implications are that it must be differentiated from pathologic entities that are similar sonographically (1), and that if anterior, it may cause excessive bleeding during invasive procedures.