The sonographic diagnosis of deep endometriosis

Diagnosing Deep Endometriosis Using Transvaginal Elastosonography

Transvaginal ultrasound (TVUS) and MRI are currently two mainstream imaging techniques used to diagnose deep endometriosis (DE) with comparable accuracy, but there is still ample room for improvement. As endometriotic lesions progress to fibrosis concomitant with the increase in tissue stiffness, transvaginal elastosonography (TVESG) is well-suited for diagnosing DE. To test the hypothesis that lesional stiffness as measured by TVESG correlates with the extent of lesional fibrosis, the markers of progression, hormonal receptor expression, and vascularity, we recruited 30 patients suspected to have DE who went through pelvic examination, TVUS and/or MRI, and TVESG and were ultimately diagnosed by histology. Their lesional tissue samples were subjected to immunohistochemistry analysis of markers for epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), fibroblast-to-myofibroblast transdifferentiation (FMT), estrogen and progesterone receptors (ERβ and PR), microvessel density (MVD), and vascularity, as well as quantification of lesional fibrosis. We found that pelvic examination, TVUS, and MRI detected 83.3%, 66.7%, and 83.3% of all DE cases, respectively, while TVESG detected them all. The lesions missed by pelvic exam, TVUS and MRI were significantly smaller than those detected but nonetheless had higher lesional stiffness. Lesional stiffness correlated closely and positively with the extent of lesional fibrosis, negatively with the markers of EMT, MVD, vascularity, and PR expression, but positively with the marker for FMT and ERβ. Thus, through the additional use of information on differential stiffness between DE lesions and their surrounding tissues, TVESG improves diagnostic accuracy, provides a ballpark estimate on the developmental stage of the lesions, and may help clinicians choose the best treatment modality.

Single Port Access Laparoscopy (SPAL) for Endometrioma Excision

Puropose

To evaluate the feasibility of single port access laparoscopy (SPAL) for the treatment of ovarian endometrioma.

Case Report

Three patients affected by single ovarian endometrioma underwent cyst excision using a laparoendoscopic single port approach with a new multiport, reusable trocar, and flexible, curved and standard laparoscopic instruments.

Results

No conversion to multi-access standard laparoscopic technique was required and no intraoperative or postoperative complications were observed. The mean operative time was 40 minutes.

Conclusions

We conclude that single portal access laparoscopy is feasible, safe and effective for the excision of ovarian endometrioma, with good results in terms of cosmesis, postoperative pain and patient satisfaction. This approach may be indicated in patients with single cysts without dense adherences in the bowel and/or deep infiltrating endometriosis.

Adenomyosis in infertile women: prevalence and the role of 3D ultrasound as a marker of severity of the disease

BACKGROUND

Adenomyosis is linked to infertility, but the mechanisms behind this relationship are not clearly established. Similarly, the impact of adenomyosis on ART outcome is not fully understood. Our main objective was to use ultrasound imaging to investigate adenomyosis prevalence and severity in a population of infertile women, as well as specifically among women experiencing recurrent miscarriages (RM) or repeated implantation failure (RIF) in ART.

METHODS

Cross-sectional study conducted in 1015 patients undergoing ART from January 2009 to December 2013 and referred for 3D ultrasound to complete study prior to initiating an ART cycle, or after ≥3 IVF failures or ≥2 miscarriages at diagnostic imaging unit at university-affiliated private IVF unit. Adenomyosis was diagnosed in presence of globular uterine configuration, myometrial anterior-posterior asymmetry, heterogeneous myometrial echotexture, poor definition of the endometrial-myometrial interface (junction zone) or subendometrial cysts. Shape of endometrial cavity was classified in three categories: 1.-normal (triangular morphology); 2.- moderate distortion of the triangular aspect and 3.- "pseudo T-shaped" morphology.

RESULTS

The prevalence of adenomyosis was 24.4 % (n = 248) [29.7 % (94/316) in women aged ≥40 y.o and 22 % (154/699) in women aged <40 y.o., p = 0.003)]. Its prevalence was higher in those cases of recurrent pregnancy loss [38.2 % (26/68) vs 22.3 % (172/769), p < 0.005] and previous ART failure [34.7 % (107/308) vs 24.4 % (248/1015), p < 0.0001]. The presence of adenomyosis has been shown to be associated to endometriosis [35.1 % (34/97)]. Adenomyosis was diagnosed as a primary finding "de novo" in 80.6 % (n = 200) of the infertile patients. The impact on the uterine cavity was mild, moderate and severe in 63.7, 22.6 and 10.1 % of the cases, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results indicate that adenomyosis is a clinical condition with a high prevalence that may affect the reproductive results. The described severity criteria may help future validating studies for better counseling of infertile couples.

Deep Invasive Endometriosis Lesions of the Rectosigmoid May Be Related to Alterations in Cell Kinetics

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to analyze cell kinetics through expression and apoptosis of topoisomerase 2-α (TOP2A), p53, and c-erb2 in rectosigmoid endometriotic lesions and in healthy endometrial tissue and to establish correlations between such findings and clinical data in patients with rectosigmoid endometriosis.

METHODS

Sixty patients with rectosigmoid endometriosis and 20 control women without endometriosis were included. Immunohistochemical assays were used to measure expression of TOP2A, p53, and c-erB-2. Apoptosis was quantified by directly counting the apoptotic bodies.

FINDINGS

The number of lesions was positively correlated with expression of TOP2A in the lesion. There was also significant correlation between the lesions' size and number and cell turnover index. Apoptosis index (AI) was the same for endometriosis lesions and eutopic endometrium. Expression of TOP2A was significantly lower in the endometriosis group compared to the controls.

CONCLUSIONS

Changes in cell proliferation but not in the AI in rectosigmoid endometriosis are indicative of an imbalance in cell kinetics that may lead to the development of the disease.