Additional Radiological Techniques (MRI)

Endometriosis is a chronic, oestrogen-dependent inflammatory disease affecting approximately 5–10% of reproductive-age women, defined as the presence of endometrial functional epithelium and stroma outside the uterine cavity that respond to hormonal stimulation. Endometriosis has three different clinical patterns of manifestation, which can occur alone or coexist: endometrioma, peritoneal endometriosis and deep infiltrating endometriosis. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is usually performed as second-line approach, after ultrasound examination, but it is recommended in the presurgical planning. Moreover, it allows both to detect endometrial implants hidden by adhesions and to recognize lesions located in an extrapelvic site. In this chapter, we will present MRI findings of endometriosis by underlining the specific signs and newer technological evolutions.