title: Endometrial polyps: MR imaging features.
abstract: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the diagnostic usefulness of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) characteristics of endometrial polyps in order to differentiate them from other endometrial lesions. MRI was retrospectively reviewed in 40 patients with pathologically proven endometrial polyps. Special attention was paid to the sizes, shapes, margins, internal structures, signal intensities, and post-contrast enhancement patterns. A central fibrous core, intratumoral cysts, and hemorrhage were seen in 30 (75%), 22 (55%), and 14 (35%) patients, respectively. The predominant signal intensity of the lesions showed iso-to slightly low signal intensity relative to the endometrium on T2-weighted images in 36 (90%), low signal intensity on diffusion-weighted images in 32 (80%), and strong or moderate enhancement on enhanced T1-weighted images in 28 patients (70%), respectively. In 32 (80%) patients, the endometrial polyps showed global or partial early enhancement. On dynamic study, rapid enhancement with a persistent strong enhancement pattern was seen in 17 (42.5%) and a gradually increasing enhancement pattern was seen in 17 patients (42.5%). These MRI features can be helpful to distinguish the endometrial polyps from various other endometrial lesions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama 700-8558, Japan. hasemantaro@yahoo.co.jp
authors.forename: Soichiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hase
authors.forename: Akihito
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mitsumori
authors.forename: Ryota
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Inai
authors.forename: Mitsuhiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takemoto
authors.forename: Shinichiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Matsubara
authors.forename: Nobuo
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Akamatsu
authors.forename: Masayoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fujisawa
authors.forename: Ikuo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Joja
authors.forename: Shuhei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Susumu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kanazawa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D016889:Endometrial Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D004717:Endometrium / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011127:Polyps / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D012189:Retrospective Studies