Imaging anatomy of the lateral pelvic compartment applied to endometriosis

Endometriosis impacts millions of women globally, making precise assessment essential for effective surgical planning and clinical management. Despite advances in transvaginal ultrasound (TVUS) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for diagnosis and staging, many radiologists still overlook the evaluation of lateral pelvic anatomical structures. Understanding the lateral compartment's involvement is vital for accurate disease staging and achieving optimal surgical outcomes. This pictorial review provides a thorough examination of the lateral pelvic compartment anatomy using TVUS and MRI, complemented by surgical correlations. It offers detailed discussions on pelvic ligaments, parametrium, and adjacent structures, such as nerves, vessels, and ureters. The review provides practical guidance for identifying critical anatomical structures in imaging exams and emphasizes the importance of standardized terminology. Enhancing imaging precision and diagnostic accuracy for lateral compartment endometriosis is crucial for optimal surgical planning and improved patient outcomes. Similar content being viewed by others Data availability No datasets were generated or analysed during the current study.

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The authors would like to thank Maria Clara Gomes Cabral de Souza, who worked with great care and dedication to create the illustrations that enhance the educational value of this work, and colleagues Diógenes Fontão, Emilly Serapião, Jéssica Cesário, Maurílio Toscano, Mauro Aguiar, Rafael Alves, Marco Aurélio Pinho de Oliveira and Roberto Carvalhosa for kindly providing the surgical images used in this paper. Author information Authors and Affiliations Contributions C.F.R.P. and B.C.O. led the manuscript elaboration and contributed equally to this work. C.F.R.P., B.C.O., I.P.F., L.G.M-A., and I.A.G.F. wrote sections of the main manuscript text. L.G.M-A. and I.A.G.F. prepared the figures. L.P.C. conceptualized the article and guided the final revision. All authors reviewed the manuscript. Corresponding author Ethics declarations Conflict of interest The authors declare no competing interests. Additional information Publisher's Note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Rights and permissions Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law. About this article Cite this article Pontes Fernandez, C.F.R., Oliveira, B.C., Franco, I.P. et al. Imaging anatomy of the lateral pelvic compartment applied to endometriosis. Abdom Radiol 50, 936–952 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00261-024-04541-z Received: Revised: Accepted: Published: Version of record: Issue date: DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00261-024-04541-z