Radiologic Diagnosis and Treatment of Iatrogenic Acquired Uterine Arteriovenous Malformation

Abstract

Purpose: To analyze gray-scale US, color and duplex Doppler US, and angiographic findings in patients with acquired uterine arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), and to evaluate the usefulness of these modalities in the diagnosis of this disease and the effect of transcatheter arterial embolization in its treatment. Materials and Methods: During a recent seven-year period, we diagnosed 21 cases of acquired uterine AVM. Nineteen of these patients had a history of causative D&C (between one and seven D&C procedures per patient), one had a history of causative cesarean section, and one had cervical conization. All patients underwent transabdominal and endovaginal gray-scale, color Doppler, and duplex Doppler US and angiography, with therapeutic embolization of bilateral uterine arteries. The majority underwent follow-up Doppler US after embolization. Results: The gray-scale US morphology of uterine AVMs included subtle myometrial inhomogeneity and multiple distinct, small anechoic spaces in the thickened myometrium or endometrium. Color Doppler US showed a tangle of tortuous vessels with multidirectional, high-velocity arterial flow, which was focally or asymmetrically distributed. Duplex Doppler US depicted a waveform of fast arterial flow with low resistance, while angiography demonstrated a complex tangle of vessels supplied by enlarged uterine arteries, in association with early venous drainage during the arterial phase, and stasis of contrast medium within abnormal vasculature. Where AVMs were combined with a pseudoaneurysm, this finding was observed. Transcatheter arterial embolization provided a complete cure, without recurrence. Conclusion: Color and duplex Doppler US is an appropriate modality for the detection and diagnosis of uterine AVMs and for follow-up after embolization. Transcatheter arterial embolization is a safe and effective method of treating this disease.