Assessment of uterine enhancement rate after abdominal radical trachelectomy using dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to assess uterine enhancement rate after abdominal radical trachelectomy (ART) using dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging.


METHODS
Ten patients with early uterine cervical cancer, who were treated by ART, were included in this study. Each patient underwent DCE MR imaging using a 3 T unit to assess uterine enhancement rate at three times (before surgery and 1 and 3 months after surgery). The radiologist calculated mean signal intensities of the anterior and posterior myometrium and also measured the signal intensities of the urine in the bladder on the same image, which was expressed as the myometrium-to-urine signal intensity ratio. In the time-intensity ratio curve, enhancement parameters (peak signal intensity ratio and peak time) of the uterine body were compared across the three MR examinations.


RESULTS
The peak signal intensity ratio was 6.96 ± 0.98 on MR examinations before surgery, 6.14 ± 0.81 1 month after surgery, and 6.26 ± 0.63 3 months after surgery (p = 0.069). The peak time was 57.6 ± 3.4 s on MR examinations before surgery, 56.4 ± 4.4 s 1 month after surgery, and 53.2 ± 8.0 s 3 months after surgery (p = 0.304). No significant differences were found in either the peak signal intensity ratio or peak time across the three MR examinations.


CONCLUSIONS
That no significant decrease of uterine enhancement rate was found after surgery suggests the uterine function and fertility may be preserved after ART.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Gifu University Hospital, 1-1 Yanagido, Gifu, 501-1194, Japan. hmakix@gifu-u.ac.jp.
Hiroshi
H
Makino
Department of Radiology, Gifu University Hospital, 1-1 Yanagido, Gifu, 501-1194, Japan.
Hiroki
H
Kato
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Gifu University Hospital, 1-1 Yanagido, Gifu, 501-1194, Japan.
Tatsuro
T
Furui
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Gifu University Hospital, 1-1 Yanagido, Gifu, 501-1194, Japan.
Yoh
Y
Hayasaki
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Gifu University Hospital, 1-1 Yanagido, Gifu, 501-1194, Japan.
Ken-ichirou
K
Morishige
Department of Radiology, Gifu University Hospital, 1-1 Yanagido, Gifu, 501-1194, Japan.
Masayuki
M
Kanematsu
D000005:Abdomen / Q000473:pathology; D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D000328:Adult; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D002584:Cervix Uteri / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000601:surgery; D003287:Contrast Media; D005260:Female; D059247:Fertility Preservation; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D009215:Myometrium / Q000473:pathology; D000069339:Trachelectomy; D055988:Uterine Artery; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*
D003287:Contrast Media
Cervical cancer; Magnetic resonance imaging; Trachelectomy