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. 2020 Nov:254:38-43.
doi: 10.1016/j.ejogrb.2020.08.040. Epub 2020 Aug 24.

Vaginal bromocriptine for treatment of adenomyosis: Impact on magnetic resonance imaging and transvaginal ultrasound

Johanna K Andersson  1 , Raffaella Pozzi Mucelli  2 , Elisabeth Epstein  3 , Elizabeth A Stewart  4 , Kristina Gemzell-Danielsson  5
Affiliations

Vaginal bromocriptine for treatment of adenomyosis: Impact on magnetic resonance imaging and transvaginal ultrasound

Johanna K Andersson et al. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 2020 Nov.

Abstract

Objective: Vaginal bromocriptine significantly reduces heavy menstrual bleeding and pain in women with diffuse adenomyosis. The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate whether imaging findings of adenomyosis, as assessed by transvaginal ultrasound (TVU) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) reflect changes induced by the bromocriptine treatment.

Study design: Eighteen women, aged 35-50, with heavy menstrual bleeding reporting Pictorial Blood Loss Assessment Chart (PBLAC) scores >100 and diffuse adenomyosis according to both MRI and TVU were included. The subjects underwent treatment with vaginal bromocriptine for 6 months. MRI and TVU were performed at baseline and after 6 months of medication.

Results: Mean age of the participants was 44.8 years, 77.8 % reported PBLAC scores > 250 and 66.7 % reported moderate to severe pain during menstruation at baseline. As compared to baseline, TVU revealed a thinner maximal Junctional Zone (JZmax) (8.5 mm [5.2-14] vs 7.9 mm [5-11.2], p = 0.02) at 6 months. Asymmetric wall thickening was seen in 13 (72 %) at baseline, and in 6 (33 %) women at 6 months, p = 0.02. No significant changes were seen in irregular endometrial-myometrial border, presence of fan-shaped shadowing, cystic changes, striations, hyperechogenic islands or lesion extension. MRI showed no significant difference in JZmax (16.0 mm[12.1-27.7] vs 15.5 mm [9.5-25.8], p = 0.81), JZdifference (9.5 mm[4.8-21.6] vs 8.4[3.8-19.5], p = 1) or Ratio JZ/myometrium (0.6 [0.5-0.8] vs. 0.6[0.4-0.8], p = 0.9) at baseline vs 6 month. Cystic lesions in the JZ were found in 9 women (50 %) before, and in 5 women (28 %) at 6 months, p = 0.13.

Conclusion: TVU showed a significant decrease in JZ max and a reduced number of women with asymmetric myometrial wall thickness. The changes seen in this small pilot study may indicate that vaginal bromocriptine have an impact on adenomyosis that is reflected in radiological appearance.

Keywords: Adenomyosis; Bromocriptine; Menstrual bleeding; Prolactin; Radiological imaging.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Competing Interest Dr. Stewart reports over the past 36 months, personal fees from Bayer, AbbVie, Myovant, UpToDate, Med Learning Group, PeerView, and ObsEva, outside the submitted work but related to uterine fibroids. In addition, Dr. Stewart has a patent issued: Methods and Compounds for Treatment of Abnormal Uterine Bleeding 6,440,445 which has no commercial activity. The other authors have nothing to declare.

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