Radiographics : a review publication of the Radiological Society of North America, Inc

Müllerian duct anomalies (MDAs) have important implications for the reproductive health of female patients. In patients with both infertility and recurrent pregnancy loss, the incidence of MDAs is as high as 25%. Congenital uterine anomalie…

The postpartum period, also known as the puerperium, begins immediately after delivery of the neonate and placenta and ends 6-8 weeks after delivery. The appearance of physiologic uterine changes during puerperium can overlap with that of p…

A wide range of benign and malignant processes can affect one or both fallopian tubes. Familiarity with and recognition of the characteristic imaging features of these diseases and conditions are imperative for accurate diagnosis and prompt…

Abdominal wall masses, masslike lesions, and diffuse processes are common and often incidental findings at cross-sectional imaging. Distinguishing among these types of masses on the basis of imaging features alone can be challenging. The au…

Pelvic masses can present a diagnostic challenge owing to the difficulty in assessing their origin and the overlap in imaging features. The majority of pelvic tumors arise from gastrointestinal or genitourinary organs, with less common site…

Mucinous neoplasms of the ovary account for 10%-15% of ovarian neoplasms. They may be benign, borderline, or malignant. The large majority are benign or borderline, accounting for 80% and 16%-17%, respectively. Mucinous neoplasms of the ova…

Transvaginal sonography (TVS) is a valuable primary imaging tool for the initial evaluation and management of endometriosis, a complex multifocal disease process with a varied spectrum of clinical and morphologic features that can substanti…

Adenomyosis is a common benign uterine condition and a frequent cause of pelvic pain in premenopausal women. Transvaginal US is now considered the primary imaging modality for the diagnosis of adenomyosis, and thus radiologists should be fa…

Endometriosis is defined as the presence of endometrial tissue that is located outside the uterine cavity and associated with fibrosis and inflammatory reaction. It is a polymorphic and multifocal disease with no known cure or preventive me…

The uterus, which plays an important role in the reproductive process, provides a home for the developing fetus and so must be in a stable, though flexible, location. Various structures with suspensory ligaments help provide this berth. MRI…

Soft-tissue sarcomas are a diverse group of rare mesenchymal malignancies that can arise at any location in the body and affect all age groups. These sarcomas are most common in the extremities, trunk wall, retroperitoneum, and head and nec…

Soft-tissue sarcomas occurring in the abdomen and pelvis are an uncommon but important group of malignancies. Recent changes to the World Health Organization classification of soft-tissue tumors include the movement of gastrointestinal stro…

Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is a common medical problem, with almost 1 million cases diagnosed annually. Historically, PID has been a clinical diagnosis supplemented with the findings from ultrasonography (US) or magnetic resonance (M…

The adult uterine cervix may exhibit a wide variety of pathologic conditions that include benign entities (eg, cervicitis, hyperplasia, nabothian cysts, cervical polyps, leiomyomas, endometriosis, and congenital abnormalities) as well as ma…

Endometrial and cervical cancer are the most common gynecologic malignancies in the world. Accurate staging of cervical and endometrial cancer is essential to determine the correct treatment approach. The current International Federation of…

Percutaneous vascular embolization is a useful therapeutic option for a wide range of gynecologic and obstetric abnormalities. Transcatheter embolization procedures performed with the use of radiologic imaging for guidance are minimally inv…

Implantation of an endometriotic lesion within a pelvic or abdominal wall scar is an uncommon but well-described condition that may be the underlying cause of acute or chronic recurrent abdominal or pelvic pain, especially after cesarean se…

The müllerian ducts are paired embryologic structures that undergo fusion and resorption in utero to give rise to the uterus, fallopian tubes, cervix, and upper two-thirds of the vagina. Interruption of normal development of the müllerian d…

Endometriosis, which is defined as the presence of ectopic endometrial glands and stroma outside the uterus, is a common cause of pelvic pain and infertility, affecting as many as 10% of premenopausal women. Because its effects may be devas…

Cancers that arise in ovarian or extraovarian endometriosis are a distinct disease category with a histologic profile different from that of the more common epithelial ovarian cancers and with a better prognosis. Because the malignant trans…

Tumorlike conditions of the pleura are rare, but diagnosis is facilitated by recognizing certain imaging patterns and interpreting them in the clinical context. A tumorlike condition of the pleura is any nonneoplastic lesion of the pleura i…

Adenomyosis is a common nonneoplastic gynecologic disease characterized by the presence of ectopic endometrium within the myometrium. On T2-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) images, typical adenomyosis appears as an ill-demarcated low-signal…

The increasing use of imaging necessitates familiarity with a wide variety of pathologic conditions, both common and rare, that affect the fallopian tube. These conditions should be considered in the differential diagnosis for pelvic diseas…