Uterine contractions: Possible diagnostic pitfall at MR imaging

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AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-09

Transient myometrial bulging, mimicking adenomyosis or leiomyoma, can occur in the nongravid uterus due to contractions and may cause diagnostic pitfalls on MR imaging.

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Abstract

Abstract A total of 206 nongravid patients with various gynecologic problems underwent pelvic magnetic resonance (MR) examinations that included both sagittal T2‐weighted and contrast agent–enhanced T1‐weighted images. MR images were retrospectively reviewed to identify changes in endometrial configuration on serial images obtained during the same MR examination. In 20 MR examinations (all in women of reproductive age), endometrial distortion due to myometrial bulging was noted on T2‐weighted or contrast‐enhanced T1‐weighted images. It was absent on other MR images obtained at different times. Myometrial bulging exhibited low signal intensity in 18 examinations. The finding resembled adenomyosis or leiomyoma on T2‐weighted or contrast‐enhanced T1‐weighted images. These results evidence the presence of transient myometrial bulging and transient low‐intensity myometrium in the nongravid uterus. This phenomenon is thought to represent uterine contraction. Clinicians should be aware of the potential presence of transient low‐signal‐intensity myometrial bulging that could present diagnostic problems in the normal uterus.

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Condition tags

adenomyosis

MeSH descriptors

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Uterine Contraction Uterine Diseases Uterus Adolescent Adult Aged Aged, 80 and over Diagnostic Errors Endometrium Endometrium Female Humans Menstrual Cycle Middle Aged Myometrium Myometrium Retrospective Studies Uterine Diseases Uterus

Citation neighborhood

Papers in the corpus that this work cites (lower rings, blue) and that cite this one (upper rings, green). Dot size scales with the paper's in-corpus citation count — bigger dot = more influential within the endo/adeno field. Click a dot to open that paper. [ expand to 2 hops ] — adds papers reached through this work's immediate citers/citees. Heavier; up to 60 extra dots.

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Cited by (29)

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