Three-Dimensional Ultrasonography in Endometriosis

In: Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology · 2026 · pp. 177–192 · doi:10.1007/978-3-032-19697-2_9 · W7162569601
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Three-dimensional ultrasonography, including sonovaginography and virtual navigation, is applied to diagnose diverse phenotypes of endometriosis and decrease the learning curve for ultrasonographic diagnosis.

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This paper/chapter describes how three-dimensional (3D) ultrasonography is applied to diagnose different endometriosis phenotypes, including ovarian, superficial, and deep endometriosis across anterior and posterior pelvic compartments, with additional discussion of enhanced techniques such as sonovaginography. It also covers the use of offline virtual navigation of 3D volumes to reduce the learning curve for ultrasonographic diagnosis. The chapter appears to synthesize application-focused knowledge rather than present new patient-level diagnostic accuracy results, and it does not provide performance metrics within the provided text. This paper is centrally about endometriosis — it focuses on 3D ultrasonography for diagnosing multiple endometriosis phenotypes and related enhanced imaging and training approaches.

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Abstract

Endometriosis is a chronic gynecological disease characterized by the presence of endometrial glands and stroma beyond the confines of the uterus that frequently leads to chronic pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, and infertility. Endometriotic lesions exhibit diverse phenotypes: ovarian, superficial, and deep endometriosis. The present chapter describes the application of three-dimensional (3D) ultrasonography in the diagnosis of these different phenotypes of endometriosis including deep endometriosis of the anterior and posterior pelvic compartments and superficial endometriosis, as well as the use of some enhanced techniques as sonovaginography. In addition, we discuss the role of offline virtual navigation of 3D volumes to decrease the length of the learning curve for the ultrasonographic diagnosis of endometriosis. Access this chapter Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout Purchases are for personal use only Similar content being viewed by others

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Can anyone screen for deep infiltrating endometriosis with transvaginal ultrasound? Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol. 2014;54(5):462–8. Noventa M, Saccardi C, Litta P, et al. Ultrasound techniques in the diagnosis of deep pelvic endometriosis: algorithm based on a systematic review and meta-analysis. Fertil Steril. 2015;104:366–383.e2. Author information Authors and Affiliations Editor information Editors and Affiliations Rights and permissions Copyright information © 2026 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG About this chapter Cite this chapter Guerriero, S. et al. (2026). Three-Dimensional Ultrasonography in Endometriosis. In: Guerriero, S., Paladini, D. (eds) 3D and 4D Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology. Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-19697-2_9 Download citation DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-19697-2_9 Published: Publisher Name: Springer, Cham Print ISBN: 978-3-032-19696-5 Online ISBN: 978-3-032-19697-2 eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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