IMR Press / CEOG / Volume 46 / Issue 6 / DOI: 10.12891/ceog5083.2019

Clinical and Experimental Obstetrics & Gynecology (CEOG) is published by IMR Press from Volume 47 Issue 1 (2020). Previous articles were published by another publisher on a subscription basis, and they are hosted by IMR Press on imrpress.com as a courtesy and upon agreement with S.O.G.

Open Access Original Research
Rectovaginal endometriosis: head to head comparison between sonovaginography and magnetic resonance imaging
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1 Department of Women and Children’s Health, Unit of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
2 Gynecologic and Obstetric Clinic, Department of Medical, Surgical and Experimental Sciences, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
3 University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
*Correspondence: amerigo.vitagliano@gmail.com (A. ANDRISANI)
Clin. Exp. Obstet. Gynecol. 2019, 46(6), 888–891; https://doi.org/10.12891/ceog5083.2019
Published: 10 December 2019
Abstract

Background: Rectovaginal endometriosis (RVE) is a severe form of deep pelvic endometriosis associated with dysmenorrhoea, pelvic pain, and dyspareunia. Diagnosis of RVE is a challenge for clinicians. Aim of outhe present study was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of sonovaginography with MRI on a consecutive cohort of women referred to this institution due to RVE suspect. Materials and Methods: The authors performed a retrospective study on consecutive patients undergoing surgery at this Unit due to a suspicion of RVE. All women were subject to MRI and sonovaginography. Primary endpoint was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of sonovaginography and MRI in the detection of RVE. Results: RVE was diagnosed (with surgery plus histology) in 60 women. In all cases, the surgical procedure was completed without complications. Sonovaginography and MRI showed high sensitivity (95% vs. 81.7%) and similar specificity (93.8% and 91.2%, respectively) in the diagnosis of RVE. Conclusions: Sonovaginography, when performed by an expert sonographer, may represent a valid alternative to MRI for the diagnosis of RVE, with lower costs and minimal time consumption.

Keywords
Rectovaginal endometriosis (RVE)
Deep pelvic endometriosis
Sonovaginography
Figures
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