Clinical application of diffusion-weighted imaging for preoperative differentiation between uterine leiomyoma and leiomyosarcoma.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the clinical usefulness of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value for preoperative differentiation between uterine leiomyoma and leiomyosarcoma. STUDY DESIGN: This study included 10 lesions from 5 patients with pelvic leiomyosarcoma and 83 leiomyoma nodules from 76 patients, as identified by postoperative pathological examination (1 autopsy). All magnetic resonance examinations were performed with a 1.5-T superconductive magnetic resonance unit. RESULTS: The leiomyosarcoma lesions were readily apparent via DWI, presenting as an intermediate- to high-intensity area in the uterine wall. All low-intensity areas presented as leiomyoma nodules. The mean ADC value for the 10 leiomyosarcoma lesions was 0.791 ± 0.145 (×10(-3) mm(2)/s), significantly lower than that of the leiomyoma nodules that presented with intermediate-intensity areas, 1.472 ± 0.285 (×10(-3) mm(2)/s) (n = 41) (P < .001), and high-intensity areas (1.100 ± 0.343) (n = 9) (P = .03). Additionally, in this study, the highest ADC value for a leiomyosarcoma was 1.095, with an intermediate DWI intensity. Based on these results, we classified the patients into 2 groups: low-risk group (barely any leiomyosarcoma risk) and high-risk group. Analyses comparing the 2 groups yielded the following: sensitivity, 100%; specificity, 94.0%; positive predictive value, 66.7%; negative predictive value, 100%; and accuracy, 94.6%. CONCLUSION: We suggest that this modality using a combination of signal intensity on DWI and ADC value is very effective, simple, and easy to apply clinically for differential diagnosis of leiomyosarcoma and myoma.

Minilaparotomy Hysterectomy as a Suitable Choice of Hysterectomy for Large Myoma Uteri: Literature Review.

The objective of this paper is to propose minilaparotomy hysterectomy as the suitable choice for large uterus on the basis of our experienced case of performed minilaparotomy hysterectomy to 4,500 g myoma uteri and review published cases about this clinical condition. We presented a 44-year-old woman (gravida 0, virgin) who consulted our hospital because of the chief complaints of abnormal genital bleeding and hypermenorrhea. Transabdominal ultrasonography revealed that abdominal solid tumor reached over the navel. Her tumor was an indication of surgery; to do minilaparotomy hysterectomy with laparoscope was decided because her informed consent was obtained. A 6 cm transverse incision (Maylard incision) was made to the skin above the pubic hairline. At the end of surgery, the length of abdominal wound was 8.5 cm, operating time was 128 min, weight of resected myoma uteri was 4,500 g, and intraoperative blood loss was 895 mL. Blood transfusion was not done; postsurgical course was not a problem without anemia. We propose that a large uterine case in which it is difficult to perform vaginal or laparoscopic hysterectomy should be considered in order to select minilaparotomy hysterectomy up to around 5 kg weight of uterus, and the length of skin incision in minilaparotomy hysterectomy is necessarily <9 cm particularly in large uterus.