Transvaginal Doppler examination of uteri with myomas

The uterine arteries and arteries in the wall and core of myomas were examined with transvaginal color and spectral Doppler ultrasound in 28 premenopausal and 17 postmenopausal women with uterine myomas. Eighteen premenopausal women and 100 postmenopausal women without myomas served as the controls for uterine artery Doppler measurements. The respective median time-averaged maximum velocity and pulsatility index (PI) values for the left uterine artery were 36.1 cm/s and 1.36 in premenopausal women with myomas vs. 17.6 cm/s and 2.58 in controls; p = 0.0001. The corresponding values in postmenopausal women were 13.9 cm/s and 1.93 vs. 11.0 cm/s and 2.33; p < 0.05. PI values < 1.0 were recorded from 92% (24/26) of the myomas in premenopausal women and from 69% (11/16) of those in postmenopausal women. We conclude that uterine myomas substantially affect blood flow velocity in the uterine arteries, and that PI values < 1.0 are common in uterine myomas and do not indicate malignancy.