[The role of the computed tomography in the identification of the syndrome of pelvic congestion].

BACKGROUND

Pelvic congestion syndrome is a condition not yet fully understood, hence provokes controversy. It is cause of up to 40% of visits to the doctor; affecting women of reproductive age who experience non-specific symptoms such as characteristic pelvic pain with more than six months of evolution and difficult to treat dyspareunia in which even narcotics are insufficient for control.

OBJECTIVE

To recognize the vascular anatomy of the pelvic cavity and identify the characteristics of pelvic congestion syndrome demonstrable by computed tomography.

MATERIAL AND

METHODS

A descriptive, observational, cross-sectional and retrospective study at Hospital Angeles del Pedregal, in the Department of Radiology and Imaging with patients who reported imaging studies with key findings to recognize the pelvic congestion syndrome. All women with incidental finding of abnormal dilation of the gonadal vein were included, allowing to suggest pelvic congestion syndrome as a possible diagnosis.

RESULTS

There were 17 cases (0.9%) of patients with abdominopelvic pain syndrome who underwent multislice computed tomography to 3 mm, with extension from the lung bases to the pubic symphysis. Predominance of left gonadal vein is conditioned by the anatomical arrangement of the left gonadal vein. During the arterial phase opacification of the gonadal vein was identified in 11 patients (65%), a circumstance that correlates with retrograde venous flow valve incompetence. In computed tomography findings of pelvic congestion syndrome were also identified 12 patients (70%) with abdominopelvic pain syndrome.

CONCLUSIONS

Pelvic congestion syndrome is a rare condition that radiologists do not consider because they don't know it and the clinical diagnoses give no clinical data to suggest this condition. But if one takes into account the literature, it refers to it as the origin of up to 40% of the visits to the gynecologist, and there may be more cases that will increase its prevalence.