Meta-Analysis of MRI in Assessment of Endometriosis

Genital / Reproductive system female, MR, Diagnostic procedure, Obstetrics Authors: Y. A. Sliem, Y. A. Sliem, Y. A. Sliem, M. A. Shaaban DOI: 10.26044/ecr2026/C-25712 Purpose

and Clinical ProblemEndometriosis is a chronic gynecological disease characterized by the presence of endometrial glands and stroma outside the uterine cavity. It affects approximately 10% of women of reproductive age and up to 30–50% of women with infertility or chronic pelvic pain. Despite its high prevalence, endometriosis remains underdiagnosed, with an average diagnostic delay ranging from 6 to 10 years. This delay is primarily related to non-specific clinical symptoms, variable disease distribution, and limitations of conventional diagnostic approaches.Laparoscopy with histopathological confirmation has traditionally been...

and materials

and MethodsStudy DesignA systematic review and meta-analysis conducted in accordance with PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines.Literature Search StrategyA comprehensive search of PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases was performed. The search strategy included combinations of the following keywords: "Endometriosis" "Magnetic Resonance Imaging" OR "MRI" "Deep infiltrating endometriosis" "Diagnostic accuracy" "Sensitivity" AND "Specificity" The search was limited to English-language studies involving human subjects.Eligibility CriteriaInclusion criteria: Original studies evaluating MRI for the diagnosis of endometriosis Use of surgical and/or histopathological...

ResultsStudy SelectionA total of 1,243 records were identified through database searching. After removal of duplicates and screening, 42 studies met the inclusion criteria, encompassing over 4,800 patients.Figure 1. PRISMA Flow Diagram(Flow chart illustrating study selection process)Overall Diagnostic Performance of MRIThe pooled diagnostic accuracy of MRI for detecting any form of endometriosis demonstrated high performance: Pooled sensitivity: 88% (95% CI: 85–91%) Pooled specificity: 90% (95% CI: 87–93%) Diagnostic odds ratio: 65.4 AUC (SROC): 0.93 Figure 2. Forest Plot of Sensitivity and Specificity(Graphical representation of pooled diagnostic...

MRI demonstrates high diagnostic accuracy for the assessment of endometriosis, particularly deep infiltrating and ovarian subtypes. This meta-analysis supports MRI as an essential component of the diagnostic pathway, enabling non-invasive, comprehensive disease evaluation and optimized patient management. Personal information and conflict of interest Y. A. Sliem: Author: author Speaker: researcher Speaker: author M. A. Shaaban: Author: researcher Author: author

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