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STUDY OBJECTIVE Learning to evaluate and treat chronic pelvic pain (CPP) is an established curriculum objective within the Fellowship in Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery (FMIGS). Our aim was to investigate current educational experiences related to the evaluation and management of CPP and the impacts of those experiences on FMIGS fellows and recent fellowship graduates, including satisfaction, confidence in management, and clinical interest in CPP. DESIGN The AAGL-Elevating Gynecologic Surgery Special Interest Group for pelvic pain developed a 33-item survey tool to investigate the following topics: (1) current educational experiences with the assessment and management of patients with CPP, (2) satisfaction with fellowship training in CPP, (3) perceived preparedness to treat patients with CPP, (4) plans to incorporate management of CPP into clinical practice, and (5) perceived desires to expand CPP exposure. Composite scores were created to examine experiences related to diseases associated with CPP and pharmaceutical and procedural treatment options. SETTING Electronic survey. PATIENTS Not applicable. INTERVENTIONS The survey was distributed via AAGL email lists and offered on FMIGS social media sites from August 2017 to November 2017 to all active FMIGS fellows and individuals who graduated the fellowship during the preceding 5 years. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Fifty-three of 82 (65%) current FMIGS fellows and 104 of 169 (62%) recent fellowship graduates completed the survey. Only 66% of current fellows endorsed working with a fellowship faculty member whose clinical work focused on CPP. Most current fellows reported having a "good amount" of experience or "extensive" experience with superficial endometriosis (39/53, 74%) and deeply infiltrative endometriosis (34/53, 64%), whereas the majority reported having "no" or "little" experience with frequently comorbid conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (68%), pelvic floor tension myalgia (55%), and interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome (51%). For both current fellows and recent graduates, increased CPP Disease Experience composite scores were associated with satisfaction with CPP training (current fellows odds ratio [OR] 1.9, p =.002; recent graduates OR 1.5, p < .001), perceived preparedness to treat patients with CPP (current fellows OR 2.0, p = .0021; recent graduates OR 1.5, p

Acute pelvic pain is a common presenting complaint in both the emergency room and outpatient settings. Pelvic pain of gynecologic origin in postmenopausal women occurs less frequently than in premenopausal women; however, it has important differences in etiology. The most common causes of postmenopausal pelvic pain from gynecologic origin are ovarian cysts, uterine fibroids, pelvic inflammatory disease, and ovarian neoplasm. Other etiologies of pelvic pain are attributable to urinary, gastrointestinal, and vascular systems. As the optimal imaging modality varies for these etiologies, it is important to narrow the differential diagnosis before choosing the initial diagnostic imaging examination. Transabdominal and transvaginal ultrasound are the best initial imaging techniques when the differential is primarily of gynecologic origin. CT with intravenous (IV) contrast is more useful if the differential diagnosis remains broad. MRI without IV contrast or MRI without and with IV contrast, as well as CT without IV contrast may also be used for certain differential considerations. The American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria are evidence-based guidelines for specific clinical conditions that are reviewed annually by a multidisciplinary expert panel. The guideline development and revision include an extensive analysis of current medical literature from peer reviewed journals and the application of well-established methodologies (RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method and Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation or GRADE) to rate the appropriateness of imaging and treatment procedures for specific clinical scenarios. In those instances where evidence is lacking or equivocal, expert opinion may supplement the available evidence to recommend imaging or treatment.

This publication summarizes the relevant literature for the imaging of patients with symptoms of abnormal uterine bleeding, including initial imaging, follow-up imaging when the original ultrasound is inconclusive, and follow-up imaging when surveillance is appropriate. For patients with abnormal uterine bleeding, combined transabdominal and transvaginal ultrasound of the pelvis with Doppler is the most appropriate initial imaging study. If the uterus is incompletely visualized with the initial ultrasou2nd, MRI of the pelvis without and with contrast is the next appropriate imaging study, unless a polyp is suspected on the original ultrasound, then sonohysterography can be performed. If the patient continues to experience abnormal uterine bleeding, assessment with ultrasound of the pelvis, sonohysterography, and MRI of the pelvis without and with contrast would be appropriate. The American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria are evidence-based guidelines for specific clinical conditions that are reviewed annually by a multidisciplinary expert panel. The guideline development and revision include an extensive analysis of current medical literature from peer reviewed journals and the application of well-established methodologies (RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method and Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation or GRADE) to rate the appropriateness of imaging and treatment procedures for specific clinical scenarios. In those instances where evidence is lacking or equivocal, expert opinion may supplement the available evidence to recommend imaging or treatment.

Pelvic pain is common in both reproductive age and postmenopausal women, and the major etiologies change throughout the life cycle. Chronic pain is defined as lasting for at least 6 months. There are many gastrointestinal and urinary disorders associated with chronic pain in this age group, which are not discussed in this guideline. Pain may be localized to the deep pelvis, with potential causes including pelvic congestion syndrome, intraperitoneal adhesions, hydrosalpinx, chronic inflammatory disease, or cervical stenosis. Ultrasound is the initial imaging modality of choice, while CT and MRI may be appropriate for further characterization of sonographic findings. Alternatively, pain may be localized to the vagina, vulva, or perineum, with potential causes including vaginal atrophy, vaginismus, vaginal or vulvar cysts, vulvodynia, or pelvic myofascial pain. Imaging is primarily indicated in context of an abnormal physical exam and ultrasound is the initial modality of choice, while MRI may be appropriate for further characterization in select cases. The American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria are evidence-based guidelines for specific clinical conditions that are reviewed annually by a multidisciplinary expert panel. The guideline development and revision include an extensive analysis of current medical literature from peer reviewed journals and the application of well-established methodologies (RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method and Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation or GRADE) to rate the appropriateness of imaging and treatment procedures for specific clinical scenarios. In those instances where evidence is lacking or equivocal, expert opinion may supplement the available evidence to recommend imaging or treatment.

PURPOSE Treating uterine fibroids with less invasive therapies such as magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) is an attractive alternative to surgery. Treatment planning can improve MRgFUS procedures and reduce treatment times, but the tissue properties that currently inform treatment planning tools are not adequate. This study aims to develop an ex vivo uterine fibroid model that can emulate the in vivo environment allowing for characterization of the uterus and fibroid MR, acoustic, and thermal tissue properties while maintaining viability for the necessary postsurgical histopathological assessments. METHODS Women undergoing a hysterectomy due to fibroid-related symptoms were invited to undergo a preoperative pelvic MRI and to permit postoperative testing of their uterine specimen. Patients that declined or could not be scheduled for a pre-operative MRI were still able to allow post-operative testing of their excised tissue. Following surgical removal of the uterus, nonmorcellated tissues were reperfused with a Krebs-Henseleit buffer solution. An MR-compatible perfusion system was designed to maintain tissue viability inside the MR suite during scanning. MR imaging protocols utilized preoperatively were repeated on whole sample, reperfused ex vivo uterus specimens. Thermal properties including thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity of the uterus and fibroids were determined using an invasive needle sensor device in 50% of the specimens. Acoustic property measurements (density, speed of sound and attenuation) were obtained for approximately 20% of the tissue samples using both through-transmission and radiation force balance techniques. Differences between fibroid and uterus and in vivo and ex vivo measurements were evaluated with a two-tailed Student t test. RESULTS Fourteen patients participated in the study and measurements were obtained from 22 unique fibroids. Of the 16 fibroids available for preoperative MRI testing, 69% demonstrated classic hypo-intensity relative to the myometrium, with the remainder presenting with iso- (25%) or hyper-intensity (6%). While thermal diffusivity was not significantly different between fibroid and myometrium tissues (0.217 ± 0.047 and 0.204 ± 0.039 mm2 /s, respectively), the acoustic attenuation in fibroid tissue was significantly higher than myometrium (0.092 ± 0.021 and 0.052 ± 0.023 Np/cm/MHz, respectively). When comparing in vivo with ex vivo MRI T1 and T2 measurements in fibroids and myometrium tissue, the only difference was found in the fibroid T2 property (P

Study Objective The objective of this video is to review relevant surgical anatomy, resection and ablation methods, and techniques to optimize management of diaphragmatic endometriosis. Design Video footage of surgical anatomy and surgical technique. Institutional review board approval was not required. Setting Thoracic endometriosis lesions can involve the pleura, the lung, and the diaphragm. The prevalence of thoracic endometriosis is unknown, but most cases involve the diaphragm. A large percentage of patients are asymptomatic. Those who are symptomatic can present with cyclic shoulder pain, right upper quadrant pain, or catamenial pneumothorax. Symptomatic cases refractory to medical management or recurrence require surgical management [ 1 , 2 ]. Safe and efficient management of these cases depends on an experienced multidisciplinary team. In this video, the experiences and management tools used by our team are described. Interventions Laparoscopic management of primary and recurrent symptomatic diaphragmatic endometriosis. (1) The surgeon performing these procedures must be familiar with liver, diaphragmatic, and thoracic anatomy. (2) Preoperative magnetic resonance imaging should be used to map suspicious lesions. (3) Bronchoscopy should be available for double-lumen endobronchial tube placement for selective ventilation. (4) The operating room should have video-assisted thoracoscopy capability, and a thoracic surgeon should be available. (5) Intercostal nerve block with liposomal bupivacaine can be useful for postoperative pain control [ 3 , 4 ]. Conclusion A multidisciplinary skilled team approach to the surgical management of diaphragmatic endometriosis to optimize outcomes is preferred.