Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Radiol. May 28, 2026; 18(5): 119223
Published online May 28, 2026. doi: 10.4329/wjr.v18.i5.119223
Published online May 28, 2026. doi: 10.4329/wjr.v18.i5.119223
Enhanced detection of vascularization in rectal endometriosis: A comparative study of microvascular flow and power Doppler
Juan Luis Alcazar, Ignacio Brunel, Jose Carlos Vilches, Rodrigo Orozco, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hospital Quirónsalud Málaga, Málaga 29004, Andalusia, Spain
Juan Luis Alcazar, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Navarre, Pamplona 31008, Navarre, Spain
Diego Maria Pich Barroso, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hospital Universitario Rio Hortega, Valladolid 47012, Castille-Leon, Spain
Oscar Sanchez, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hospital Universitari Arnau de Vilanova, Lleida 25198, Catalonia, Spain
Author contributions: Alcazar JL, Pich Barroso DM, Sanchez O, Brunel I, Vilches JC, and Orozco R contributed to draft reviewing; Alcazar JL, Pich Barroso DM, and Sanchez O contributed to investigation; Alcazar JL and Orozco R contributed to draft writing; Alcazar JL contributed to conceptualization. All authors approval the final manuscript.
Institutional review board statement: This retrospective study was waived by the Ethics Committee of Hospital Quirónsalud Málaga. This study does imply only routine procedures performed in patients presenting for endometriosis evaluation.
Clinical trial registration statement: This study was not registered because this is an exploratory pilot study addressing a proof-of-concept.
Informed consent statement: All women participating in this study gave oral informed consent after the nature of the study was fully explained. No written informed consent was required since all examinations performed were done as part of routine evaluation within their clinical context (transvaginal ultrasound).
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
CONSORT 2010 statement: The authors have read the CONSORT 2010 Statement, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CONSORT 2010 Statement.
Data sharing statement: Data are available from the authors upon reasonable request.
Corresponding author: Juan Luis Alcazar, MD, PhD, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hospital Quirónsalud Málaga, Avenida Pilar Lorengar 1, Málaga 29004, Andalusia, Spain.
Received: January 29, 2026
Revised: March 4, 2026
Accepted: April 3, 2026
Published online: May 28, 2026
Processing time: 123 Days and 15.4 Hours
Revised: March 4, 2026
Accepted: April 3, 2026
Published online: May 28, 2026
Processing time: 123 Days and 15.4 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Rectal endometriotic nodules as assessed by microvascular flow exhibit more vascularization than previously thought. This finding is a changing paradigm observation and it opens new research fields, such as the assessment of vascularization of rectal endometriotic nodule vascularization for predicting disease evolution, response to medical therapy or risk of recurrence after surgery.