MR examination plays important roles in gynecology because of its high tissue contrast. It can be considered appropriate to investigate benign diseases of the uterus and ovaries as it has no radiation exposure, nor pain. The field of view is wide enough to cover the whole pelvis. Qualitative diagnosis is mostly required for the treatment of uterine mesenchymal lesions or ovarian mass lesions using MRI, because biopsy is not usually performed for these lesions. I will address on some common benign diseases of the uterus and ovaries, as well as generally accepted treatments of these lesions, including less invasive surgery.
Clinical value of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination in predicting benign diseases of the uterus and ovaries will be discussed, with special highlights on diagnosis and surgical planning.
Basic medical examinations in the field of gynecology include interview, pelvic examination, trans-vaginal ultrasonography and cytology. Majority of the gynecologic diseases can be diagnosed with these procedures. The MR imaging examination plays very important roles because of its high tissue contrast and lack of radiation exposure or pain. Therefore, it is appropriate to investigate benign diseases of the uterus and ovaries. It is also used for surgical planning because its field of view is wide enough to cover the whole pelvis.
Because biopsy is not usually performed for these lesions, qualitative diagnosis is required for the uterine mesenchymal lesions or ovarian mass lesions using MRI. When treating benign diseases, differentiation from malignancy is crucial for observation or choice of minimally invasive treatments. In this lecture, I will address on some common benign diseases of the uterus and ovaries, and elucidate the MR findings of these conditions. I will also report the generally accepted treatments for them, including laparoscopic surgery. With the knowledge of these treatments, we will be able to provide knowledge on variations of MR imaging techniques that may be useful for surgical planning. Finally, I will briefly mention some challenging MR imaging techniques that may be useful in clinical practice.
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