What Are Fibroids?
6. Diagnosis
When the diagnosis of a uterine fibroid is suspected via the patient’s history and a physical examination, an ultrasound can be used to identify the lesion. The ultrasound will help to determine the location and size of the fibroid. This can be better defined using a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. It is important to rule out other conditions such as an adnexal tumor or an ovarian tumor.
Although imaging cannot clearly distinguish between a benign uterine fibroid and malignant uterine leiomyosarcoma, the malignant version is quite rare. There should be suspicion of a sarcoma when there is rapid or unexpected growth and enlargement of the fibroid after menopause. If malignant, imaging may show local invasion. Other tests that may be beneficial are sonohysterography and hysterosalpingography.
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