Abstract
Fibroids, the most common benign neoplasms of the uterus, are well-defined masses in the myometrium of the uterus, once surrounded by a pseudocapsule, and composed of smooth muscle with varying amount of fibrous connective tissue. They occur more frequently in the body of the uterus rather than in the cervix or between the folds of the broad ligament; they may be singular or multiple, very variable in size, and may modify shape and volume of the uterus. As leiomyomas enlarge, they may outgrow their blood supply, resulting in various form of degeneration. According to their location, they are classified as submucosal, intramural, subserosal, intraligamentous, and cervical. The most frequent symptoms are abnormal uterine bleeding and pelvic pain, due to “mass effect.”
Ultrasonography (US) is still the preferred initial diagnostic test for patients with symptomatic fibroids. However, magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is a noninvasive procedure that allows the diagnosis of fibroids to be established with a great degree of confidence and affects patient treatment by reducing the number of unnecessary surgeries. Accurate detection and localization of leiomyomas with MR imaging can result in planned therapies being changed or obviated.
For these reasons, MR imaging is the most accurate imaging technique for detection, measuring fibroids and uterine volume, excluding whatever concomitant pathology, and it has become the preferred imaging modality choice for evaluating the potential candidates for uterine fibroid embolization (UFE), assessing the success of UFE and potential risks for complications.
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Pavanello, L., Cesari, S., Biasiutti, C., Manfredi, R., Mucelli, R.P. (2015). Fibroids. In: Manfredi, R., Pozzi Mucelli, R. (eds) MRI of the Female and Male Pelvis. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09659-9_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09659-9_5
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