The use of intra-operative saline sonovaginography to define the rectovaginal septum in women with suspected rectovaginal endometriosis: a pilot study

The Application of Sonovaginography for Implementing Ultrasound Assessment of Endometriosis and Other Gynaecological Diseases

Sonovaginography is a way of assessing gynaecological diseases that can be described as cheap yet accurate and non-invasive. It consists of distention of the vagina with ultrasound gel or saline solution while performing transvaginal sonography to clearly visualize and assess a host of local cervical, as well as any vaginal, disorders. With endometriosis being a steadily growing gynaecological pathology affecting 8-15% of women of fertile age, transvaginal sonography (TVS) can be considered as one of the most accurate and comprehensive imaging techniques in its diagnosis. Nevertheless, the accuracy may vary depending on scan sites. The purpose of this narrative review is to assess the performance of sonovaginography in detecting endometriosis in those sites where TVS has a low sensitivity.

A prospective study comparing rectal water contrast-transvaginal ultrasonography with sonovaginography for the diagnosis of deep posterior endometriosis

INTRODUCTION

Preoperative assessment of deep endometriotic (DE) nodules is necessary to inform patients about the possible treatments and provide informed consent in case of surgery. This study aims to investigate the diagnostic performance of rectal water-contrast transvaginal ultrasonography (RWC-TVS) and sonovaginography (SVG) in women with suspicion of posterior DE.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

This prospective comparative study (NCT04296760) enrolled women with clinical suspicion of DE at our institution (Piazza della Vittoria 14 SRL, Genoa, Italy). Exclusion criteria were previous diagnosis of DE by imaging techniques or laparoscopy. All patients underwent RWC-TVS and SVG, independently performed by two gynecological sonologists blinded to the other technique's results. Patients underwent laparoscopic surgery within the following three months; imaging findings were compared with surgical and histological results.

RESULTS

In 208 of 281 (74.0%) patients included, posterior DE was surgically confirmed in rectosigmoid (n = 88), vagina (n = 21), rectovaginal septum (n = 34) and uterosacral ligaments (n = 156). RWC-TVS and SVG demonstrated similar sensitivity (SE; 93.8% vs 89.4%; p = 0.210) and specificity (SP; 86.3% vs 79.4%; p = 0.481) in diagnosing posterior DE. Specifically, both examinations had similar accuracy in detecting nodules of uterosacral ligaments (p = 0.779), vagina (p = 0.688) and rectovaginal septum (p = 0.824). RWC-TVS had higher SE (95.2% vs 82.0%; p = 0.003) and similar SP (99.5% vs 98.5%; p = 0.500) in diagnosing rectosigmoid endometriosis and estimated better infiltration of intestinal submucosa (p = 0.039), and distance between these nodules and anal verge (p < 0.001); only RWC-TVS allowed the estimation of bowel lumen stenosis. A similar proportion of discomfort was experienced during both examinations (p = 0.191), although a statistically higher mean visual analog score was reported during RWC-TVS (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Although RWC-TVS and SVG have similar accuracy in the diagnosis of DE, RWC-TVS performed better in assessment of the characteristics of rectosigmoid endometriosis.

The 'sliding sign' in conjunction with sonovaginography: is this the optimal approach for the diagnosis of Pouch of Douglas obliteration and posterior compartment deep infiltrating endometriosis?

Introduction: Endometriosis is a chronic peritoneal disease that may progress as a deep infiltrating lesion involving the posterior compartment of the pelvis. Efforts to improve pre-operative knowledge of the location and extent of these lesions have resulted in the development of Transvaginal ultrasound (TVS) as the first-line imaging modality for extra-ovarian endometriosis. However, various techniques of TVS have been described in the literature for this purpose. Methods: In this review we will detail the evolution of TVS as the primary imaging modality in the pre-operative diagnosis of posterior compartment deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE). We will also discuss the potential of an emerging new real-time diagnostic ultrasound-based technique known as the 'sliding sign' in combination with office gel sonovaginography for the pre-operative diagnosis of Pouch of Douglas obliteration and posterior compartment DIE. Conclusion: Implementation of the new real-time dynamic, reproducible and simple 'sliding sign' in conjunction with SVG has the potential to challenge the current concept that traditional laparoscopy is the 'gold standard' modality for the diagnosis of women with posterior compartment DIE.