Ultrasound as A Viable Option in the Diagnosis of Pelvic Congestion Syndrome

Abstract

The Pelvic Congestion Syndrome is a disease that manifests usually with chronic pelvic pain, impairments in daily activity due to pain severity, dyspareunia, and dysmenorrhea. It affects mainly women in premenopausal stages. The gold-standard procedure for diagnosis is venography, which has an invasive character. This syndrome is underdiagnosed, partly because women tend not to report symptoms to their doctors, but also because of the tendency to delay or deny invasive procedures until there is a severe alteration in the quality of life. Transabdominal and transvaginal ultrasound examination can detect pelvic vein insufficiency, which is the main cause of pelvic congestion syndrome. Vein diameter, the grade of reflux, velocity, and extension of affected vessels are among the parameters that can be assessed. Implementing a diagnosis scheme using only ultrasound parameters could lead to an increase in the number of diagnosed patients.