Systematic interpretation and structured reporting for pelvic magnetic resonance imaging studies in patients with endometriosis: value added for improved patient care.

ABSTRACT

Endometriosis is a chronic, multifocal disease, which can lead to pain or subfertility. Treatments are tailored toward the therapeutic goals of the individual patient; either to improve a specific pain symptom or optimize fertility. Management of endometriosis is complex, and best implemented by a comprehensive, multidisciplinary team of physicians and health care providers. The role of the radiologist in the management of endometriosis is becoming increasingly important as more centers move toward utilizing female pelvic MR studies to diagnose, delineate or follow endometriosis lesions. The radiologist must communicate pertinent, actionable findings from these studies in a manner that is clear and concise. Structured radiologic reports (SRR) add value in that they provide organized, clear, and comprehensive information from imaging studies, ensuring reports include essential items required for decision-making. In this paper, we review our MR imaging protocol and present the structured radiologic report implemented at our institution by our multidisciplinary endometriosis care team. Imaging features of endometriosis at each site specified in the structured report are summarized. The importance of each element included in the structured report from a management perspective is highlighted.