A standardized ultrasound approach to pelvic congestion syndrome

Abstract

Pelvic congestion syndrome is one of the many causes of chronic pelvic pain and is often diagnosed based on exclusion of other pathologies. Over the past decades, pelvic congestion syndrome was recognized to be a more common cause of chronic pelvic pain. Multiple diagnostic modalities including pelvic duplex ultrasonography, transvaginal ultrasonography, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance were studied. In the current literature, selective ovarian venography, an invasive imaging approach, is believed to be the gold standard for diagnosing pelvic congestion syndrome.

Noninvasive diagnostic tools for pelvic congestion syndrome: a systematic review

“…Labropoulos et al. described a more complete protocol on how patients can be examined with ultrasonography, including the position of the patient with a head elevation of 30 degrees . Their technique aids in the overall visibility of the relevant veins in the lower abdomen .…”

“…described a more complete protocol on how patients can be examined with ultrasonography, including the position of the patient with a head elevation of 30 degrees . Their technique aids in the overall visibility of the relevant veins in the lower abdomen . However, this technique requires that patients have been fasting overnight, which is of course not a usual preparation for a visit to the outpatient gynecological department .…”

“…Their technique aids in the overall visibility of the relevant veins in the lower abdomen . However, this technique requires that patients have been fasting overnight, which is of course not a usual preparation for a visit to the outpatient gynecological department .…”

Role of trans-abdominal and trans-perineal venous duplex ultrasound in cases of pelvic congestion syndrome

“…The patients can present by different manifestations including post-coital and premenstrual pain and heaviness, lower backache, in addition to the urinary symptoms like frequency as well as vulvoperineal and lower extremity varicosities. Many gynecological problems can contribute to chronic pelvic pain in females including endometriosis, adenomyosis, uterine fibroids, pelvic adhesions, uterine prolapse, and malignancies; other non-gynecological causes include irritable bowel syndrome, urological, and psychiatric problems can also present by chronic pelvic pain [1][2][3].…”

“…Despite being a potentially treatable condition, it may be often misdiagnosed due to its nonspecific manifestations that could result from other gynecological and non-gynecological diseases; thus, it may be considered as a diagnosis of exclusion [1,3].…”