Scientific publications

Ultrasonography and Atypical Sites of Endometriosis. Scientific Publication

May 1, 2020 | Magazine: Diagnostics

Stefano Guerriero  1   2 , Francesca Conway  1   2 , Maria Angela Pascual  3 , Betlem Graupera  3 , Silvia Ajossa  1   2 , Manuela Neri  1   2 , Eleonora Musa  1   2 , Marcelo Pedrassani  4 , Juan Luis Alcazar  5


 Abstract

In the present pictorial we show the ultrasonographic appearances of endometriosis in atypical sites. Scar endometriosis may present as a hypoechoic solid nodule with hyperechoic spots while umbilical endometriosis may appear as solid or partially cystic areas with ill-defined margins.

In the case of endometriosis of the rectus muscle, ultrasonography usually demonstrates a heterogeneous hypoechogenic formation with indistinct edges. Inguinal endometriosis is quite variable in its ultrasonographic presentation showing a completely solid mass or a mixed solid and cystic mass.

The typical ultrasonographic finding associated with perineal endometriosis is the presence of a solid lesion near to the episiotomy scar. Under ultrasonography, appendiceal endometriosis is characterized by a solid lesion in the wall of the small bowel, usually well defined. Superficial hepatic endometriosis is characterized by a small hypoechoic lesion interrupting the hepatic capsula, usually hyperechoic.

Ultrasound endometriosis of the pancreas is characterized by a small hypoechoic lesion while endometriosis of the kidney is characterized by a hyperechoic small nodule. Diaphragmatic endometriosis showed typically small hypoechoic lesions. Only peripheral nerves can be investigated using ultrasound, with a typical solid appearance. In conclusion, ultrasonography seems to have a fundamental role in the majority of endometriosis cases in "atypical" sites, in all the cases where "typical" clinical findings are present.

CITATION  Diagnostics (Basel). 2020 May 27;10(6):345. doi: 10.3390/diagnostics10060345