[Echography in tumor pathology of uterus (author's transl)]

Based on the study of 234 cases of uterine tumor pathology, the authors attempt to define the role and limits of echography. In the case of uterine cancers, the major role of echography concerns postoperative surveillance, except for cancers of the corpus uteri for which it allows exact measurement of the size of the uterus and thus the optimization of radiotherapy. Fibromas are easily detected by echography, but in the case of submucosal or subserosal forms this technique can give false negative (submucosal forms) or erroneous diagnosis of an ovarian tumor (subserosal fibroma). Only the tumoral forms of endometriosis uterina can be recognized using echography, generally showing up as small transsonic images; infiltrating forms cannot be visualized. Echographic diagnosis of uterine polyps is often difficult. Echography has become the foremost complementary procedure following clinical examination. However, a negative uterine echogram in the presence of warning signs and in particular menorrhagia systematically warrants obtention of a hysterography to detect a polyp, a submocusal fibroma, endometrial lesions or an infiltrating cancer of the corpus uteri.