THE ASSESSMENT OF UNILATERAL UTERINE ARTERY LIGATION IN RADICAL ABDOMINAL TRACHELECTOMY WITH THREE-DIMENSIONAL POWER DOPPLER ULTRASONOGRAPHY

SUMMARY The conservation of uterine arteries during radical trachelectomy has led to considerable debate among gyne- cologic oncologists. Some authors have reported successful case studies of the ligation of bilateral uterine arteries, but other authors remain unconvinced of the artery ligation procedure. We report a case that employed three-dimensional power Doppler ultrasonography (3D-PDUS) to assess the microvascular pattern of uterine blood circulation after the ligation of a unilateral uterine artery during radical abdominal trachelec- tomy. The assessment of the uterine vascular circulation via the 3D-PDUS revealed no significant differences in the vascular blood supply of bilateral uterine arteries 4 months postoperatively. (International Journal of Gerontology 2008; 2(1): 22-25)