Nonfetal Imaging During Pregnancy: Acute Abdomen/Pelvis

Courtney C Moreno; Pardeep K Mittal; Frank H Miller

doi:10.1016/j.rcl.2019.10.005

Nonfetal Imaging During Pregnancy: Acute Abdomen/Pelvis

Radiol Clin North Am. 2020 Mar;58(2):363-380. doi: 10.1016/j.rcl.2019.10.005. Epub 2019 Nov 19.

Authors

Courtney C Moreno¹, Pardeep K Mittal², Frank H Miller³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, 1364-A Clifton Road Northeast Suite AT-627, Atlanta, GA 30327, USA. Electronic address: courtney.moreno@emoryhealthcare.org.
² Department of Radiology, Medical College of Georgia, 1120 15th Street, BA-1411, Augusta, GA 30912, USA.
³ Body Imaging Section and Fellowship, MRI, Department of Radiology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, 676 North Saint Clair, Suite 800, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.

PMID: 32044012
DOI: 10.1016/j.rcl.2019.10.005

Abstract

Abdominal pain is a common occurrence in pregnant women and may have a variety of causes, including those that are specific to pregnancy (eg, round ligament pain in the first trimester) and the wide range of causes of abdominal pain that affect men and women who are not pregnant (eg, appendicitis, acute cholecystitis). Noncontrast magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is increasingly performed to evaluate pregnant women with abdominal pain, either as the first-line test or as a second test following ultrasonography. The imaging appearance of causes of abdominal pain in pregnant women are reviewed with an emphasis on noncontrast MR imaging.

Keywords: Abdominal pain; Acute appendicitis; Computed tomography; Magnetic resonance imaging; Pregnancy.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Abdomen, Acute / diagnostic imaging*
Acute Pain / diagnostic imaging*
Adult
Female
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging / methods*
Pelvis / diagnostic imaging
Pregnancy
Pregnancy Complications / diagnostic imaging*
Ultrasonography / methods*