title: Retained placental tissue: role of MRI findings in diagnosis and clinical assessment.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the role of MRI in diagnosis and predicting clinical outcome in women with retained placental tissue.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eleven patients with pathologically proven RPT were retrospectively studied. All underwent MRI. The following MRI parameters of RPT were studied: size, signal intensity on T1- and T2-weighted images, enhancement pattern on dynamic study, extent of attachment to the uterine myometrium, and myometrial thickness at the attachment site. Clinical reports were reviewed and MRI findings were compared with respect to outcome.
  
  
  RESULTS
  RPT diameter varied from 30 to 102 mm. On T2-weighted images, 10 cases showed high intensity, while on T1-weighted images, seven cases showed high intensity. Nine cases were hypervascular. The myometrium was thinner at the attachment side than at the opposite side. All five cases in which RPT was delivered spontaneously showed an attachment area of less than a semicircle, hence broad attachment appears to impede detachment and necessitate additional therapy. After uterine arterial embolization, two patients showed complete infarction of RPT on enhanced MRI.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MRI is useful for diagnosis and follow-up of RPT. The evaluation of extent of RPT attachment to the myometrium and vascularity on MRI can help the clinical assessment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Nara Medical University, Japan. jtakaham@naramed-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Junko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Takahama
authors.forename: Satoru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kitano
authors.forename: Nagaaki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Marugami
authors.forename: Tomoko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Uehara
authors.forename: Aki
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Megumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takewa
authors.forename: Takahiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Itoh
authors.forename: Kimihiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kichikawa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003287:Contrast Media; D004107:Dilatation and Curettage; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D018457:Placenta, Retained / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy; D011247:Pregnancy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA