Ultrasound detection of uterine abnormalities after diethylstilbestrol (DES) exposure

Diethylstilbestrol (DES) was widely prescribed to pregnant women from 1940 to 1960. This resulted in multiple benign abnormalities of the genital tract and occasional malignant transformation in women who had been exposed to DES in utero. Over 300 cases of clear cell adenocarcinoma of the vagina have been described to date. In this study, 18 DES-exposed women and 20 normal age-matched controls were studied with ultrasound. An estimated uterine volume of 49.4 cm3 +/- 25.5 SD was found in the exposed subjects, compared with 90 cm3 +/- 22 SD in the normal subjects. Three out of 18 women (16%) had a T-shaped uterus. Ultrasound can detect some of the uterine abnormalities which occur due to DES exposure.