Introduction to the Special Edition on endometriosis

Vol.:(0123456789)1 3 Abdominal Radiology (2020) 45:1551 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00261-020-02550-2 EDITORIAL Introduction to the Special Edition on endometriosis Wendaline M. VanBuren1 Published online: 27 April 2020 © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020 This Special Edition is dedicated to the multi-modality imaging of Endometriosis and the surgical and medical management as it pertains to the Radiologist. Endometriosis may impact a woman from menarche onwards, resulting in chronic pain, involving many organs and nerves, potentially impacting fertility and has a risk of malignant degenera- tion. The disease presentation clinically and radiologically can be challenging and the standardization of imaging pro- tocols, report templates and interdisciplinary conferences, will aid in refining disease detection and management. All of these topics and others will be addressed in this edition. Much about this disease remains to be discovered; however, research studies broaching many of these topics are impact- ing our evolving practice management. I would like to thank the Society of Abdominal Radiology (SAR) for the opportunity to create this platform for knowl- edge sharing. Through the tireless efforts of the SAR Dis - ease Focused Panel (DFP) on Endometriosis this edition has been made possible. I’d like to thank the editor-in-chief, Dr. C. Daniel Johnson, the former associate editor of gyneco- logical imaging, Dr. Christine (Cooky) Menias, and my fel- low DFP members for inviting me to serve as guest editor. In particular, I’d like to highlight the Endometriosis DFP consensus guidelines on MRI Lexicon and technique. Many contributors of research papers, educational articles and case reports present a sense of the breadth and complexity of this disease which we must familiarize ourselves with as imag- ers. I hope this edition will function as a reference to build or grow an endometriosis imaging service and will prompt further research and discovery. Publisher’s Note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. * Wendaline M. VanBuren [email protected] 1 Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA