Deep infiltrating endometriosis: Should rectal and vaginal opacification be systematically used in MR imaging?

Objectives. - To evaluate the interest of rectal and vaginal filling in vaginal and recto-sigmoid endometriosis with MR imaging. To compare the results between a senior and a junior radiologist review. Methods. - Sixty-seven patients with clinically suspected deep infiltrating endometriosis were included in our MRI protocol consisting of repeated T2-weigthed sequences (axial and sagittal) before and after rectal and vaginal marking with ultrasonography gel. Vaginal and recto-sigmoid endometriosis lesions were analyzed before and after opacification. The inter-reader agreement between senior and junior scores was studied. Results. - Concerning vaginal and muscularis and beyond colonic involvement, no significant difference (P = 0.32) was observed and the inter-reader agreement was excellent (K = 0.96 and 0.97 respectively). Concerning serosa colonic lesions, a significant difference was observed (P = 0.01) and the inter-reader agreement was poor (K = 0). Conclusions. - Rectal and vaginal filling in endometriosis staging with MRI is not necessary no matter the reader experiment. (C) 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.