Female Reproductive System Pathologies and the Roles of Sonography, MRI, CT, and Mammography

LaKeidra Taylor Bell, MSRS, R.T.(R)(ARRT)®*

^*Senior Clinical Coordinator and Didactic Faculty, Baton Rouge General Medical Center, School of Radiologic Technology, Baton Rouge, LA.

Address correspondence to: LaKeidra Taylor Bell, MSRS, R.T.(R)(ARRT)^®*, Baton Rouge General School of Radiology, 3616 North Boulevard, Baton Rouge, LA 70806. E-mail: Lakeidra.taylorbell@brgeneral.org.

Disclosure Statement: The author reports having no significant financial or advisory relationships with corporate organizations related to this activity.

 ABSTRACT

The female reproductive system is an intricate system of organs that work together to perform reproductive and sexual functions. Having a healthy and fully functional reproductive system is vital to women's overall mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing. To keep it functioning properly, vital information and resources need to be available to provide proper assessment, diagnosis, and treatment options and plans. Radiological imaging plays a vital role in the maintenance of feminine health, and sonography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), and mammography all make beneficial contributions with visualizing, assessing, diagnosing, and treating pathologies of the female reproductive system. In this course, we will discuss multiple diseases of the female reproductive system, including syphilis, gonorrhea, ovarian cysts and tumors, uterine fibroids, endometriosis, and endometrial carcinoma, along with their signs and symptoms, diagnosis, treatment options, and the imaging modality of choice when visualizing and diagnosing these pathologies. A brief discussion of mammography and imaging breast carcinoma will also be included.