Uterine junctional zone: Correlation between histologic findings and MR imaging

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1991

Abstract

Uterine zonal anatomy as visualized on T2-weighted (repetition time, 2,500 msec; echo time, 80 msec) magnetic resonance (MR) images consists of a high-intensity central (endometrial) zone, a subjacent low-intensity junctional zone of myometrium, a moderately intense zone of myometrium, and a thin, low-intensity subserosal zone of myometrium. To better define the histologic correlates of these diagnostically significant zones, T2-weighted MR images of 17 in vivo and 13 extirpated human uteri were compared with histologic sections of 17 uteri stained with hematoxylin-eosin, Mallory trichrome, and immunofluorescence staining for actin. Morphometric and electron microscopic observations of uterine surgical specimens were also made. The observations indicate that both the junctional zone and the subserosal zone consist of compact smooth muscle fibers with little extracellular matrix compared with the myometrium proper. Also, the junctional zone is divided into a compact region and a transitional region. The compact region correlates well with the hypointense MR appearance of the junctional zone.

Publication Title

Radiology

Volume

179

Issue

2

First Page

409

Last Page

413

Comments

This article was published in Radiology, Volume 179, Issue 2, Pages 409-413.

The published version is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1148/radiology.179.2.1707545 .

Copyright © 1991 RSNA.

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