Utility of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Evaluation of Intraoperatively Confirmed Pelvic Adhesions:

Efficacy of focused ultrasound ablation surgery in patients with adenomyosis and coexisting pelvic adhesions

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy of focused ultrasound ablation surgery (FUAS) in treating patients with adenomyosis and coexisting pelvic adhesions.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 396 patients diagnosed with adenomyosis and who underwent FUAS between January 2014 and December 2022 were enrolled. Pelvic adhesions were evaluated using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and the patients were categorized into either adhesive group or non-adhesive group. The aim was to investigate the comparative efficacy between the two groups.

RESULTS

Among the 396 patients, pelvic adhesions were detected in 123 (31.06%) women. Compared to the non-adhesive group, patients in the adhesive group exhibited a higher preoperative dysmenorrhea score (7 vs. 6, p  < 0.001), a lower short-term clinical success rate (74.80% vs. 84.62%, p = 0.025), and a higher long-term cumulative recurrence rate (log-rank p = 0.009). The adhesive group exhibited a high incidence of anal discomfort during the procedure compared to the non-adhesive group (18.70% vs. 7.69%, p = 0.002). Additionally, patients with severe adhesion demonstrated a lower ratio of non-perfused volume ratio (NPVR) (38.81% vs. 46.58%, p = 0.009). Multivariate binary logistic regression analysis revealed that pelvic adhesion independently increased the risk of dysmenorrhea (OR = 4.730, 95%CI: 2.026-11.044, p < 0.001), while severe pelvic adhesion was identified as an independent risk factor for NPVR (OR = 2.226, 95%CI: 1.181-4.196, p = 0.013).

CONCLUSION

The preoperative assessment of pelvic adhesions plays a crucial role in predicting intraoperative adverse events of FUAS in patients with adenomyosis, as well as determining both short-term and long-term efficacy, thereby providing valuable guidance for the development of comprehensive treatment.

MR imaging for preoperative characterization of pelvic adhesions: role in diagnosis and surgical planning

Pelvic adhesions are nonanatomic connections between organs and normal peritoneal surfaces that develop secondary to a maladaptive inflammatory response to tissue insults. Comprised of fibrous tissue, adhesions can result in the distortion of operative dissection planes, which can complicate the establishment of abdominal access in patients undergoing surgery, prolong the length of surgery, and increase the risk of injury to bowel and other structures if involved by extensive adhesive disease. This can adversely impact patient outcomes by increasing the risk of surgical complications including bleeding, infection, and prolonging postoperative length of stay. Literature on the characterization of adhesions with imaging is limited and a systematic framework for evaluating adhesive disease on cross-sectional imaging of the pelvis does not currently exist. In this review, we discuss the MR imaging features of pelvic adhesions, highlighting unique teaching cases in which surgical exploration was significantly complicated by the presence of adhesive disease. We will also review the correlation between MR imaging and intraoperative findings in these cases. A proposed standardized framework for the detection and characterization of adhesions on pelvic MRI will be reviewed with multiple imaging examples. Identification and characterization of pelvic adhesive disease on preoperative imaging provides radiologists with an opportunity to inform the referring clinician of their presence, potentially improving outcomes and the quality of patient care.

An audit of pregnancy outcomes in solid organ transplant recipients at a metropolitan hospital

BACKGROUND

Pregnancies in patients with solid organ transplants have higher rates of complications and caesarean sections (CS).

AIM

To perform an audit of the pregnancy outcomes in transplant recipients, to determine the rate of CS in our cohort, the appropriate skin incision for CS in these patients and to formulate recommendations for preoperative planning.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This is a retrospective cohort study. All patients who had a solid organ transplant were identified from the obstetrics database. The operation records of the transplant recipients who delivered by CS were reviewed and the de-identified data were evaluated for pregnancy outcomes.

RESULTS

This cohort consisted of 22 women: six had simultaneous pancreas and kidney (SPK) transplants and 16 had kidney transplants. Over a ten-year period, four women had two pregnancies and one had a twin pregnancy, thus 27 babies were born. The rate of CS was 58% (n = 15) and the surgical approach in 13 of these patients was by Pfannenstiel incision. One patient had an elective midline incision at the first CS, which was repeated in the next pregnancy. Two CS were complicated by bladder injury, both occurring in SPK recipients.

CONCLUSION

Patients with solid organ transplants have a higher rate of CS and SPK patients may be at a higher risk of bladder injuries during CS. Our data suggest that Pfannenstiel skin incision is still suitable for these patients. We recommend reviewing the operative details of the transplant operation and a pelvic magnetic resonance imaging for pre-operative planning.

Transvaginal Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery Hysterectomy in a Woman with Uterine Adenomyosis and Multiple Severe Abdominal Adhesions

Natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) had been used for many gynecologic surgeries without pelvic adhesions. We report a 30-year-old female with multiple abdominal adhesions underwent NOTES hysterectomy successfully. A 30-year-old female (para 2, gravida 3, abortus 1) presented with menorrhagia and dysmenorrhea. She had multiple abdominal surgical histories. Computed tomography scan revealed multiple adhesions between the abdominal wall and small intestine. On pelvic ultrasonography, an enlarged uterus 8.3 cm × 3.5 cm with adenomyosis was visualized. Because of the extensive intra-abdominal adhesions, we decided to use a transvaginal NOTES approach to perform hysterectomy. We performed the surgery successfully without complication. Pathological examination confirmed adenomyosis of uterus. NOTES hysterectomy may be feasibly and safely performed in gynecologic patients with extensive abdominal adhesions.

Preoperative assessment of factors associated with difficulty in performing total laparoscopic hysterectomy

AIM

Our objective was to determine the preoperative factors associated with difficulty in total laparoscopic hysterectomy (TLH).

METHODS

This retrospective clinical study included 157 patients who underwent TLH for leiomyoma or adenomyosis between 2009 and 2013. All patients underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) before surgery. We categorized patients as 'difficult' if the operation time was > 243 min, if total blood loss was > 500 mL, or if conversion to laparotomy was necessary. Preoperative information, including MRI findings, was compared between the difficult and 'other' patients. Stepwise logistic regression analysis was used to control for covariates that were significant on univariate analysis (P < 0.05).

RESULTS

The presence of an endometrioma, a previous cesarean section (CS), a wide uterus, and a high body mass index were independent risk factors for being a difficult patient. For adenomyosis patients, the presence of an endometrioma, a prior CS, subtype II adenomyosis, and high body mass index were independent risk factors for being a difficult patient. For leiomyoma patients, the presence of an endometrioma, a prior CS, and having at least seven leiomyomas were independent risk factors for being a difficult patient. All laparotomy conversion patients had multiple risk factors.

CONCLUSION

We have elucidated the factors associated with difficult TLH patients using patients' background and preoperative MRI findings. Awareness of these predictive factors may enable surgeons to prepare for the operation, minimize complications, or choose another more appropriate route of hysterectomy than TLH.