A Detailed Study in Adenomyosis and Endometriosis: Evaluation of the Rate of Coexistence Between Uterine Adenomyosis and DIE According to Imaging and Histopathology Findings

Abstract

The current study was designed to evaluate the relationship between adenomyosis and its subtypes with endometriotic lesions (ovarian endometrioma (OMAs) and posterior deep infiltrative endometriosis (DIE)), to examine the probability of existence of a common cause of these mysterious diseases, and to evaluate the accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of both transvaginal ultrasonography (TVS) and MRI in diagnosis of adenomyotic uterus. In this retrospective cross-sectional study, we selected 154 women with coexistence of endometriosis and adenomyosis according to their imaging, intraoperative, or pathological findings who were nominated for laparoscopic surgery. Eighty-six patients with just DIE resection without LH (laparoscopic hysterectomy) (group 1), and 68 patients with LH + DIE resection (group 2). The accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of ultrasonographic and MRI findings for diagnosing adenomyosis were 72.1%, 77.6%, 40.0% and 49.2%, 41.5%, 90.0% respectively. So, TVS is a more sensitive diagnostic tool for diagnosing adenomyosis. However, MRI was more specific than TVS in the diagnosis of diffuse adenomyosis especially with simultaneous presence of uterine leiomyoma. Regarding the association of different types of adenomyosis (focal and diffuse) with different endometriosis lesions (OMA and posterior compartment DIE), we just found diffuse type of adenomyosis more frequent in the absence of rectal and rectovaginal septum (RVS) DIE (p ≤ 0.05). In addition to the questionable different nature of rectal and RVS DIE lesion, there is no relationship between adenomyosis subtypes and endometriotic lesions.

Keywords: Adenomyosis; Endometriosis; MRI; Ultrasound imaging.