Endometriosis is an important gynecologic disorder primarily affecting women during their reproductive years. Pathologically, it is the result of functional endometrium located outside the uterus. It may vary from microscopic endometriotic implants to large cysts (endometriomas). The physical manifestations are protean, with some patients being asymptomatic and others having disabling pelvic pain, infertility, or adnexal masses. Symptoms do not necessarily correlate with the severity of the disease. Ultrasonographic (US) features are variable and can mimic those of other benign and malignant ovarian lesions. Low-level internal echoes and echogenic wall foci are more specific US features for endometriomas. Magnetic resonance imaging improves diagnostic accuracy, with endometriotic cysts typically appearing with high signal intensity on T1-weighted images and demonstrating "shading" on T2-weighted images. The ovaries are the most common sites affected, but endometriosis can also involve the gastrointestinal tract, urinary tract, chest, and soft tissues. Small implants and adhesions are not well evaluated radiologically; therefore, laparoscopy remains the standard of reference for diagnosis and staging. Both medical and surgical treatment options are available depending on the patient's specific case.
In patients with cervical cancer, MRI is superior to CT and clinical examination for evaluating uterine body involvement and measuring tumor size, but no method was accurate for evaluating cervical stroma.
In the United States, primary bladder neoplasms account for 2%-6% of all tumors, with bladder cancer ranked as the fourth most common malignancy. Ninety-five percent of bladder neoplasms arise from the epithelium; the most common subtype is urothelial carcinoma, which accounts for 90% of cases. Squamous cell carcinoma accounts for 2%-15%, with rates varying widely according to geographic location. Adenocarcinoma (primary bladder, urachal, or metastatic) represents less than 2%. Bladder cancer typically occurs in men aged 50-70 years and is related to smoking or occupational exposure to carcinogens. Most urothelial neoplasms are low-grade papillary tumors, which tend to be multifocal and recur but have a relatively good prognosis. High-grade invasive tumors are less common and have a much poorer prognosis. Squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma occur in the setting of chronic bladder infection and irritation. Mesenchymal tumors represent the remaining 5% of bladder tumors, with the most common types being rhabdomyosarcoma, typically seen in children, and leiomyosarcoma, a disease of adults. Rarer mesenchymal tumors include paraganglioma, lymphoma, leiomyoma, and solitary fibrous tumor. Although imaging findings are not specific for these tumors, patterns of growth and tumor characteristics may allow differentiation. For accurate staging, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging are the modalities of choice.
Although the vast majority of bladder tumors are epithelial neoplasms, a variety of nonneoplastic disorders can cause either focal bladder masses or diffuse mural thickening and mimic malignancy. Some of these entities are rare and poorly understood such as inflammatory pseudotumor, which produces ulcerated, bleeding polypoid bladder masses. These masses may be large and have an extravesical component. Bladder endometriosis manifests as submucosal masses with characteristic magnetic resonance imaging features consisting of hemorrhagic foci and reactive fibrosis. Nephrogenic adenoma has no typical features, and pathologic evaluation is required for diagnosis. Although imaging features of malacoplakia are also nonspecific, characteristic Michaelis-Gutmann bodies are found at pathologic evaluation. The various types of cystitis (cystitis cystica, cystitis glandularis, and eosinophilic cystitis) require pathologic diagnosis. Bladder infection with tuberculosis and schistosomiasis produces nonspecific bladder wall thickening and ulceration in the acute phase and should be suspected in patients who are immunocompromised or from countries where these infections are common. The diagnosis of chemotherapy cystitis and radiation cystitis should be clinically evident, but imaging may be used to determine severity and to assess complications. Extrinsic inflammatory diseases such as Crohn disease and diverticulitis may be associated with fistulas to the bladder and focal bladder wall abnormality. The extravesical findings allow the diagnosis to be made easily. Finally, extrinsic masses arising from the prostate or distal ureter may cause filling defects, which can be confused with intrinsic bladder masses.
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