UTERINE ARTERY DOPPLER VELOCIMETRY WITH LEIOMYOMAS

The study was conducted to establish a correlation between Doppler vel ocimetry in relation to uterine weight in any phase of the menstrual c ycle and symptoms in women who have leiomyomas. Doppler velocimetry wa s carried out on both uterine arteries in 18 pre-menopausal women and one post-menopausal woman prior to undergoing abdominal hysterectomy a t Winthrop University Hospital in Mineola, NY and at Ioannina Universi ty Hospital. The t-test was used for statistical analysis. Changes in flow velocity correlatd directly with uterine size. When a division at 500 g was used, S/D ratio was 2.74+/-0.53 for larger uteri vs. 4.2+/- 1.24 for smaller uteri, p<0.006. Eight women presented heavy bleeding and the mean S/D ratio was 3.75+/-1.36 while eleven women presented mi ld bleeding and the mean S/D ratio was 3.51+/-1.2 (p>0.5). Thus the st udy has demonstrated that in cases of uterine leiomyomas, the uterine artery flow increases although angiography had previously shown decrea sed vascularity within the tumor.