A study carried out over the last two years by gynecologists from Hospital Clínic de Barcelona and Women’s, including Dr. Cristian de Guirior, has led to the conclusion that it is possible to predict the degree of invasion of endometriosis nodules in the bladder with a transvaginal ultrasound and, therefore, avoid having to perform other tests, such as cystoscopy (introduction of a camera into the bladder, which is more annoying and painful for the patient).
What exactly is endometriosis?
Endometriosis is a disease that affects a very high percentage of women of childbearing age. In endometriosis endometrial tissue appears outside the cavity of the uterus, being its most frequent location the pelvis, and only 1-2% affects the bladder.
What are the symptoms of endometriosis?
The symptoms of endometriosis in the bladder can be mistaken for a urinary tract infection. As a result, many patients suffering from endometriosis do not receive adequate treatment in the initial stage and their symptoms worsen.
Study shows that it is possible to localize the invasion of nodules into the bladder in endometriosis
During the four-year study, researchers and doctors performed more than 2,000 ultrasound scans, observing endometriosis in the bladder of 22 patients.
By correlating the images obtained with ultrasound and cystoscopy they found that, with ultrasound and the knowledge and experience of the teams, an accurate map can be made, identifying the location of the endometriosis.
In addition, it was also possible to evaluate the symptoms of the patients, to learn more about how the disease behaves and what treatments are most effective.
The specialists assure that it is necessary to be very aware of the need to explore the area by transvaginal ultrasound, since the area can be seen very well, with minimal invasion. If a good diagnosis is made, the treatment will always be more correct and effective. More and more is known about the disease and it is better diagnosed. Each organ, each region, must be carefully studied and analyzed, since it often goes unnoticed in the bladder, as it is an organ where it rarely develops.
This research is part of the doctoral thesis of Dr. Cristian de Guirior (gynecologist of the Women’s CD team) and was carried out jointly with Dr. Cristina Ros (head of the gynecological diagnostic imaging unit of Hospital Clínic), Dr. Francisco Carmona (medical director of Women’s CD and head of the Gynecology service of Hospital Clínic) and Dr. Francisco Carmona (medical director of Women’s CD and head of the Gynecology service of Hospital Clínic) and Dr. Francisco Carmona (head of the Gynecology service of Hospital Clínic). Mariona Rius (gynecologist of the Women’s CD team).