The radiologic diagnosis of complications following gynecologic surgery: radiography, computed tomography, sonography, and scintigraphy.
673,000 hysterectomies were done in the United States in 1981. The mortality rate of 16.4/100,000 was less than that for appendectomy. Gynecologic surgery, however, is the most common surgical cause of complications related to the urinary tract with the reported incidence varying from less than 1 to 10%. We reviewed the charts of 1403 patients who had 736 abdominal, 315 vaginal and 143 radical or modified radical hysterectomies. Seventy (5%) patients had complications. Thirty-two (2.2%) patients had 35 complications related to the urinary tract. Complications directly related to surgery were grouped into ureteral injuries (13), fistulas (10), post surgical fluid collections (13), and hydronephrosis following radical hysterectomy. Characteristic images obtained by radiography, sonography (US), computed tomography (CT), and nuclear medicine (NM) are presented, and their use in each group of complications is summarized in the conclusion.
D001201:Ascites / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006869:Hydronephrosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology; D007044:Hysterectomy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D007045:Hysterectomy, Vaginal / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014463:Ultrasonography; D014513:Ureter / Q000293:injuries*; D014548:Urinary Fistula / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology