ORIGINAL ARTICLE   

Journal of Radiological Review 2020 March-April;7(2):117-30

DOI: 10.23736/S2723-9284.20.00003-0

Copyright © 2020 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English, Italian

Role of the structured reporting in the magnetic resonance imaging evaluation of the pelvic floor dysfunctions

Andrea MOLINARI ¹ ✉, Guido BUONOMENNA ¹, Alessandra ROMANI ², Daria SCHETTINI ², Nicoletta GANDOLFO ²

¹ Section of Radiodiagnostics, Department of Health Sciences (DISSAL), IRCCS San Martino University Hospital, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy; ² Unit of Radiology, Department of Imaging, Villa Scassi Hospital, ASL3, Genoa, Italy

BACKGROUND: Pelvic floor weakness refers to a common spectrum of functional disorders affecting prevalently women and manifesting with pelvic pain and discomfort and pelvic organ prolapse. This study was done to establish the advantages of the structured report in the assessment of patients with suspected pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) with dynamic MRI.
METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 42 pelvis MRI performed on patients with symptoms consistent with pelvic floor disorders. We describe our department experience in image analysis, measurements, grading and MRI report using a structured template based on the most recent recommendations issued by ESUR/ESGAR (European Society of Urogenital Radiology, European Society of Gastrointestinal and Abdominal Radiology).
RESULTS: All MRI exams allowed to perform diagnosis. Static sequences were used to asses morphology of the supporting structures and anal sphincter complex, while dynamic ones to study abnormality of the pelvic organs by analyzing their position with reference lines. We introduce the findings in a structured report considering the severity index and a compartment-based description. Lastly, we describe the most common pelvic floor diseases.
CONCLUSIONS: MRI provides morphological and functional study in multicompartment evaluation of the pelvic floor structures. An evacuation phase is mandatory. Structured reporting helps the Radiologist to analyze the most important anatomic areas in the format of “check-list” of and to clearly describe the findings.

KEY WORDS: Pelvic floor disorders; Magnetic resonance imaging; Women’s health