Review Article

The Investigation and Management of Adenomyosis in Women Who Wish to Improve or Preserve Fertility

Table 2

Prevalence of adenomyosis from previous prospective cohort observational studies.

StudyNumber of patients ()Study characteristics Diagnostic modality Definition of adenomyosisPrevalence%

de Souza et al. 1995 [6]26Infertility patients presenting with dysmenorrhea or menorrhagia, all had laparoscopy performedMRIFocal adenomyoma: ill-defined lesions within the myometrium54
Diffuse adenomyosis: diffuse or irregular JZ thickening

Kunz et al. 2005 [7]227Study group (): infertility patients with laparoscopy done showing endometriosisMRI
Focal adenomyoma: expansions of variable shape and size that did not extend over the whole length of the uterine cavity
Diffuse adenomyosis: expansion of anterior or posterior JZ

79
90
28
Study subgroup: presence of endometriosis, <36 years old with fertile partners
Control group (): infertility patients with no endometriosis or other pelvic disorder on laparoscopy

Kissler et al. 2008 [8]70Patients with severe dysmenorrhea with laparoscopy performedMRIMaximal thickness >8 mm or greater on T2 weighted images53
87
Group I: patients with dysmenorrhea < 11 years 
Group II: patients with dysmenorrhea > 11 years

Naftalin et al. 2012 [9]985Consecutive patients attending the general gynaecology clinicTVSAsymmetrical myometrial thickening not caused by presence of fibroids, parallel shadowing, linear striations, myometrial cysts, hyperechoic islands, adenomyoma, and irregular JZ21

MRI: magnetic resonance imaging; TVS: transvaginal ultrasound scan; JZ: junctional zone.