Transvaginal Sonoelastography on Benign Masses of Cervix

Abstract

Cervix is the lowermost portion of the uterus. Benign pathologies of the uterus mostly occur in women falling under the conceptive age profile. Frequently exhibited symptoms are excessive bleeding, menorrhagia and pain during menstruation or coitus. Sonoelastography in comparison to the sonography alone is a rather recent development and is easily affordable and available. This makes it ideal for use as a first – look diagnostic tool to determine the nature of the cervical mass without unnecessary invasive or expensive examinations. There is an urgent need for early differentiation of benign masses from malignant ones as it impacts the type of treatment administered, its efficacy, prognosis, and lifestyle post-treatment. This review aims to evaluate the accuracy of transvaginal sonography in correctly diagnosing benign masses of cervix from malignancy, and thus gives an overview of the evolution of its application in routine clinical practice. As seen in the review, only studies performing strain elastography have been taken into consideration with strain ratio being a focal point as this is a quantifiable unit, used for measurement of tissue elasticity. This gives us comparable results regarding the diagnostic precision of transvaginal elastography in cervical masses. Gold standard is used is histopathological diagnosis.