Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Acute Abdominal Pain in the Pregnant Patient

Abigail D Stanley; Miltiadis Tembelis; Michael N Patlas; Mariam Moshiri; Margarita V Revzin; Douglas S Katz

doi:10.1016/j.mric.2022.04.010

Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Acute Abdominal Pain in the Pregnant Patient

Magn Reson Imaging Clin N Am. 2022 Aug;30(3):515-532. doi: 10.1016/j.mric.2022.04.010.

Authors

Abigail D Stanley¹, Miltiadis Tembelis², Michael N Patlas³, Mariam Moshiri⁴, Margarita V Revzin⁵, Douglas S Katz²

Affiliations

¹ NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, 101 Northern Boulvard, Glen Head, NY 11545, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Department of Radiology, NYU Langone Hospital, 222 Station Plaza North, Suite 501, Mineola, NY 11501, USA.
³ Department of Radiology, McMaster University, Hamilton General Hospital, 237 Barton Street, East Hamilton, ON L8L 2X2, Canada.
⁴ Department of Radiology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 1161-21st Avenue, South Medical Center North CCC-117, Nashville, TN 37232, USA.
⁵ Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, Yale University, 330 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT 06520, USA.

PMID: 35995477
DOI: 10.1016/j.mric.2022.04.010

Abstract

Evaluation of a pregnant patient presenting with acute abdominal pain can be challenging to accurately diagnose for a variety of reasons, and particularly late in pregnancy. Noncontrast MR remains a safe and accurate diagnostic imaging modality for the pregnant patient presenting with acute abdominal pain, following often an initially inconclusive ultrasound examination, and can be used in most settings to avoid the ionizing radiation exposure of a computed tomography scan. Pathologic processes discussed in this article include some of the more common gastrointestinal, hepatobiliary, genitourinary, and gynecologic causes of abdominal pain occurring in pregnancy, as well as traumatic injuries.

Keywords: Abdominal pain; Acute abdomen; Appendicitis; MR imaging; Pregnancy.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Abdomen, Acute* / complications
Abdomen, Acute* / etiology
Abdominal Pain / diagnostic imaging
Abdominal Pain / etiology
Female
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging / methods
Pregnancy
Pregnancy Complications* / diagnostic imaging
Ultrasonography