Preoperative sonographic evaluation of patients with endometrial carcinoma.

Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate the possibilities of endovaginal ultrasound in the preoperative clinical assessment of patients with endometrial carcinoma.

Method: Sixty-four postmenopausal women with a diagnosis of endometrial carcinoma after dilatation and curettage were scanned before operation with a 7.5-MHz endovaginal probe.

Results: The location of the process and depth of myometrial invasion were estimated correctly in the vast majority of patients. Spread beyond the uterus and distance from the serosa could not be estimated precisely.

Conclusion: Preoperative evaluation and staging of endometrial carcinoma are possible and useful for gynecologists, as they provide information on tumor location, depth of myometrial invasion, and involvement, if present, of the lower uterine segment or cervix.