ROLE OF CONTRAST-ENHANCED ULTRASONOGRAPHY IN THE ASSESSMENT OF UTERINE DISORDERS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.66021/pakmcr1420Keywords:
Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasonography, Uterine Disorders, Gynecologic Ultrasound OR Transvaginal CEUS, Endometrial pathology, endometrial carcinoma.Abstract
Background: Uterine disorders are often presented with overlapping symptoms. Some disorders, such as fibroids, are usually correctly identified by conventional grayscale or Doppler imaging. CEUSG uses intravenous injections of gas-filled microbubbles to visualize the macro- and microvasculature. The aim of study is to systematically evaluate the role of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) in the assessment of uterine disorders by analyzing its diagnostic accuracy, clinical utility, and advantages over conventional ultrasound techniques.
Methods: This systematic review follows the PRISMA guidelines. A comprehensive literature search was conducted between the years 2000 to 2025, using databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Search terms included combinations of keywords and Medical Subject Headings (MeSH). This review included peer-reviewed articles published between the selected time frame, such as original research, reviews, and meta-analyses on CEUS for uterine pathologies. Eligible studies involved randomized controlled trials, cohort studies, cross-sectional studies, and observational studies using both transvaginal and transabdominal CEUS. Excluded studies were case reports, editorials, conference abstracts, animal studies, and those lacking complete diagnostic data or not focused on CEUS as the primary imaging modality.
Results: A total of 26,000 records after the removal of 6,000 duplicate records, 20,000 unique articles remained for screening. Based on titles and abstracts, 15,000 articles were excluded. This led to 5,000 full-text articles being assessed 4,990 articles were excluded due to lack of relevance to contrast-enhanced ultrasonography, insufficient diagnostic data, or methodological limitations. Finally, 10 high-quality studies were included in this systematic review for detailed analysis.
Conclusion: This review underscores the effectiveness of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) in diagnosing uterine disorders, showing high accuracy for conditions like leiomyomas and endometrial lesions. Despite its advantages over conventional ultrasound, variability in results calls for further research to standardize its clinical use.
