Diagnostic imaging of pelvic congestive syndrome

Abstract

Many female patients are affected by chronic pelvic pain and a significant number of referrals to the gynecology department result in a clinical suspicion of pelvic congestion syndrome. Additionally, patients referred to the vascular surgery department for venous disease can also present with complaints of a persistent dull lower abdominal pain in addition to typically distributed leg varicosities (that extend from the leg through the pelvic floor) which should be evaluated for the presence of pelvic congestion syndrome. In this article, we focus on imaging pelvic vein insufficiency and related (extending) varicosities: how should we evaluate the pelvic veins, what are the signs to look for, and what are the currently established criteria for (pre-interventional) imaging.

Keywords: CT venography; MR venography; Pelvic congestive syndrome; embolization; trans-vaginal ultrasound; ultrasound.