Oxytocin selectively reduces blood flow in uterine fibroids without an effect on myometrial blood flow: a dynamic contrast enhanced MRI evaluation

Figures & data

Figure 1. Characteristics of the patients and the fibroids enrolled in this study.

Table 1. MR imaging parameters.

Parameter	T2W TSE	T2W TSE	T1W TFE SPAIR	T1W TFE SPAIR	Dynamic CE-T1W TFE SPAIR	CE-T1W TFE SPAIR	CE-T1W TFE SPAIR
Imaging plane	Sagittal	Axial	Sagittal	Axial	Axial	Sagittal	Axial
Repetition time (ms)	4844	3845	5.2	5.4	2.9	5.2	5.4
Echo time (ms)	95	80	2.6	2.6	1.3	2.6	2.6
Flip angle (°)	90	90	7	7	10	7	7
Number of slices	42	45	225	133	40	225	133
Number of dynamics	–	–	–	–	70	–	–
TSE/TFE factor	28	19	80	80	19	80	80
Section thickness (mm)	3	4	3	3	6	3	3
Matrix size M × P (mm)	344 × 267	272 × 241	168 × 232	172 × 298	112 × 145	168 × 232	172 × 298
Field of view AP ×  FH × RL (mm)	240 × 240 × 138	300 × 300 × 198	250 × 345 × 338	255 × 200 × 448	270 × 120 × 349	250 × 345 × 338	255 × 200 × 448

TSE: turbo spin echo; TFE: turbo field echo; SPAIR: spectral attenuated inversion recovery; CE: contrast-enhanced.

Figure 2. T2 weighted MR images of a uterine fibroid in (a) axial and (b) sagittal plane. Quantitative blood flow maps of the same fibroid in axial plane (c) without oxytocin and (d) with oxytocin. Contrast enhanced T1 weighted MR images of the same fibroid in axial plane (e) without oxytocin and (f) with oxytocin.

Figure 3. (a) Blood flow of the largest fibroid of every patient without oxytocin and with oxytocin (b) The median blood flow of all fibroids without oxytocin and with oxytocin, *p-value < 0.0001.

Figure 4. (a) Blood flow of the myometrium without oxytocin and with oxytocin in the fibroid patients and the control group (b) Blood flow of the skeletal muscle without oxytocin and with oxytocin in both groups, *p < 0.05.