Reproducibility of Endometrial Vascular Patterns in Endometrial Disease as Assessed by Transvaginal Power Doppler Sonography in Women With Postmenopausal Bleeding

Abstract

Our results indicate that endometrial blood flow mapping using transvaginal power Doppler sonography is acceptably reproducible. More experience was associated with better intraobserver and interobserver agreement.

Reproducibility of the International Endometrial Analysis Group Color Score for Assigning the Amount of Flow Within the Endometrium Using Stored 3-Dimensional Volumes

“…The results for IETA scores assigned by all 8 examiners according to pathologic type are show in Table . To analyze the global agreement for assigning the color score to a specific histologic result, we considered the number of each histologic result multiplied by the total number of examiners . Thus, for proliferative endometrium, there were 128 cases; for secretory endometrium, there were 72 cases; for endometrial atrophy, there were 8 cases; for endometrial polyp, there were 152 cases; for endometrial hyperplasia, there were 40 cases; for retained products of conception, there were 24 cases; for submucous myoma, there were 24 cases; and for endometrial cancer, there were 96 cases.…”

“…For this reason, the use of color or power Doppler mapping has been advocated for increasing specificity and “specific lesions” of color mapping, such as endometrial polyps, hyperplasia, and cancer, has been proposed . However, these patterns have shown just moderate reproducibility, even in experienced hands . In 2010, the International Endometrial Tumor Analysis (IETA) group proposed a simpler approach for assessing the amount of flow within the endometrium, the so‐called IETA color score .…”

“…[5][6][7] However, these patterns have shown just moderate reproducibility, even in experienced hands. 8,9 In 2010, the International Endometrial Tumor Analysis (IETA) group proposed a simpler approach for assessing the amount of flow within the endometrium, the so-called IETA color score. 10 This score is based on the subjective impression of the examiner regarding the amount of endometrial color signals, and it is graded as a score of 1 (no flow), 2 (minimal flow), 3 (moderate flow), or 4 (abundant flow).…”

Imaging aspects of the tumor stroma with therapeutic implications

“…Imaging tumor vasculature using a window chamber is a powerful tool enabling researchers to monitor changes in vasculature in high resolution at different time points in order to learn about vasculature development in early vs. late tumor stages, vascular changes in response to treatment and combination of vascular imaging with other tumor or stroma components. Combination of spectral and fluorescent imaging were used for imaging of blood supply and oxygenation at high spatial resolution (Alcazar, et al, 2006). …”

Three-dimensional Static Ultrasound and 3D Power Doppler in Gynecologic Pelvic Tumors

“…4 However, this approach is only reproducible in experienced hands. 5 Uterine myomas are a very common benign disease. The diagnosis use to be easy by ultrasound 6 and there is evidence that uterine blood flow is increased in the presence of fibroids.…”