MRI characteristics of the uterine junctional zone: from normal to the diagnosis of adenomyosis.

OBJECTIVE: MRI was the first imaging technique to permit the visualization of the uterine junctional zone and remains the imaging method of choice to evaluate it and its associated pathology.

CONCLUSION: Adenomyosis can be diagnosed using MRI with a diagnostic accuracy of 85%. The most important MR finding in making the diagnosis is thickness of the junctional zone exceeding 12 mm. The principal limitation of MRI is the absence of a definable junctional zone on imaging, which occurs in 20% of premenopausal women.