Incidental Findings of Nongynecologic Pathology in Transvaginal US Examination

Abstract

To show that an exhaustive examination of the pelvis is necessary to obtain further information about other pelvic organs beyond the internal genitalia. We describe the most representative incidental findings of nongynecologic pathology found at a transvaginal US scan, all of which were realized in our institution in the last 5 years. We studied the anatomic structures next to the internal genitalia. In intestinal pathology we found affection of the small bowel, such as intestinal invagination; and of the large intestine also, inflammatory pathology is the most common, such as sigmoiditis and proctitis. Also, pathologies of the urinary tract were found several times, including obstruction-induced bladder dysfunction, ureteral and bladder lithiasis, polyps, tumors and diverticula among others. The most often vascular lesion was pelvic varicocele. Finally, those pathologies and anatomic variations were characterized as miscellaneus, including pelvic kidney, retroperitoneal lipoma and peritoneal carcinomatosis. Transvaginal US scan should not be limited only to the evaluation of the genital organs, but also be used to make an integral examination of the pelvis. This procedure allows, frequently, to diagnose extragynecologic lesions in patients who have pelvic discomfort or pain, or those who are asymptomatic.