Spectrum of MR features in adenomyosis

Diagnosis, laparoscopic management, and histopathologic findings of juvenile cystic adenomyoma: a review of nine cases

OBJECTIVE

To define diagnostic criteria for juvenile cystic adenomyoma (JCA), describe the histologic features of the condition and evaluate laparoscopic excision for treating associated dysmenorrhea and pelvic pain.

DESIGN

Prospective long-term follow-up study.

SETTING

University-affiliated hospital.

PATIENT(S)

Nine consecutive patients with JCA.

INTERVENTION(S)

Patients meeting the diagnostic criteria for JCA underwent laparoscopic enucleation of the lesion. The severity of dysmenorrhea was evaluated before surgery and every 6 months after surgery. Five patients underwent second-look laparoscopy (SLL) 6 months after surgery.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S)

Relief of dysmenorrhea as measured by a visual analog scale, postoperative healing at SLL, and subsequent pregnancy when desired by the patient.

RESULT(S)

Laparoscopic enucleation of the cystic adenomyoma resulted in a statistically and clinically significant reduction in dysmenorrhea and improved chronic pelvic pain. Neither cystic adenomyoma nor severe dysmenorrhea recurred during the follow-up period. Adhesions were minimal at SLL. Two of the three patients who desired pregnancy conceived after surgery. The histologic findings of the JCA lesion and adenomyosis were similar, and the endometrial glands and stroma infiltrating the surrounding myometrium in all patients were consistent with the appearance of adenomyosis.

CONCLUSION(S)

We defined the diagnostic criteria for JCA, and demonstrated significant improvement of dysmenorrhea after laparoscopic excision of the lesion.

Adenomyotic cyst in an adolescent girl

BACKGROUND

Cystic adenomyosis is an extremely rare form of adenomyosis, particularly in the pediatric population. We report a unique case of an adenomyotic cyst in an adolescent girl.

CASE

A 16-year-old G0P0 presented with cyclic pelvic pain. Ultrasonography demonstrated a large cystic lesion, which was localized to the myometrium on computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. The lesion was surgically excised and confirmed to be cystic adenomyosis by pathology.

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

Cystic adenomyosis is a rare cause of abdominopelvic pain and dysmenorrhea in adolescents. Imaging is key in distinguishing this disease from other congenital and acquired gynecological disorders. Awareness of this condition is important for timely, accurate diagnosis and intervention.

Adenomyosis: New Knowledge is Generating New Treatment Strategies

In the early days, all mucosal invasions of abdominal organs were considered to be one pathological condition of uncertain origin, termed adenomyoma. It was only in the 1920s that endometriosis and adenomyosis were clearly separated and it took approximately 80 years to put forward a new theory reunifying their pathogenesis. Today, identification of adenomyosis is carried out exclusively through vaginal ultrasonography and MRI. These techniques have made a careful evaluation of a distinct anatomical structure and the inner myometrial layers underlying the endometrium, termed the junctional zone, possible. Adenomyosis is characterized by a homogeneous thickening of this portion of the myometrium. When this hyperplasia is associated to an alteration of spiral arterioles' angiogenesis, then both adenomyosis and endometriosis may develop. Evidence is being accumulated that pre-eclampsia, fetal growth restriction and premature delivery may be linked, together representing a new, major obstetrical syndrome characterized by a modified uterine environment around the time of nidation. A dozen different medical or surgical techniques are utilized for the treatment of adenomyosis and novel approaches are being tested. These include use of inhibitors of angiogenesis that have been shown to cause reduced neo-angiogenesis, a significant modification of gene expression and a decrease in the percentage of active lesions. Encouraging results have also been obtained with the levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system.

Laparoscopic management of juvenile cystic adenomyoma of the uterus: Report of two cases and review of the literature

Two cases of juvenile cystic adenomyoma of the uterus treated by laparoscopic surgery are reported. Preoperative diagnostic imaging procedures located a cystic structure within the uterine nodule of each of these young women with severe dysmenorrhea. Under a diagnosis of cystic adenomyoma, laparoscopic excision was performed. Histopathologic examination of the resected tissues showed the presence of an endometrial structure composed of epithelium and stroma within myometrial nodule. In both of these patients, dysmenorrhea disappeared postoperatively.