Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, 16766# Jingshi road, 250014, Jinan, Shandong, People's Republic of China.
Shandong First Medical University (Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences), Jinan, Shandong, People's Republic of China.
Abdom Radiol (NY). 2022 Dec;47(12):4219-4226. doi: 10.1007/s00261-022-03674-3. Epub 2022 Sep 13.
To analyze the effect of changes in the menstrual cycle and age on the signal intensity of amide proton transfer (APT) imaging in normal uterine structures.
Thirty-one healthy females (age: 21-50 years old) underwent regular pelvic MRI and APT sequences during their menstrual cycle. The APT values of the endometrium, myometrium, and junctional zone were measured. One-way and multi-way analyses of variance were used to analyze the data. Intraindividual difference and Pearson's correlation analyses were also conducted.
The APT values of the uterine structures during the menstrual, proliferative, and secretory phases were 3.413 ± 0.682%, 4.776 ± 0.829%, and 5.218 ± 0.772% for the endometrium; 2.966 ± 0.533%, 3.597 ± 0.380%, and 4.324 ± 0.583% for the myometrium; and 1.703 ± 0.393%, 2.362 ± 0.486%, and 2.779 ± 0.528% for the junctional zone. The individual variation in the APT values of the normal uterus during the three menstrual phases was 1.1-1.7%.There were no significant differences in APT values of uterine structures with age. The APT values of the endometrium were greater than those of other structures (P < 0.05).The Pearson correlation coefficients between APT values of uterine structures and menstrual cycle were 0.686, 0.743, and 0.684, respectively.
The menstrual cycle had a significant effect on the APT signal intensities of the uterine structures, whereas premenopausal age had no significant effect. Changes in the uterine structures during the menstrual cycle should be considered when using APT to diagnose suspected uterine lesions.
分析月经周期和年龄变化对正常子宫结构酰胺质子转移（APT）成像信号强度的影响。
31 名健康女性（年龄 21-50 岁）在月经周期内接受常规盆腔 MRI 和 APT 序列检查。测量子宫内膜、子宫肌层和交界区的 APT 值。采用单因素和多因素方差分析进行数据分析。还进行了个体内差异和 Pearson 相关性分析。
在月经期、增殖期和分泌期，子宫内膜的 APT 值分别为 3.413±0.682%、4.776±0.829%和 5.218±0.772%；子宫肌层的 APT 值分别为 2.966±0.533%、3.597±0.380%和 4.324±0.583%；交界区的 APT 值分别为 1.703±0.393%、2.362±0.486%和 2.779±0.528%。在三个月经周期中，正常子宫 APT 值的个体差异为 1.1-1.7%。子宫结构的 APT 值与年龄无显著差异。子宫内膜的 APT 值大于其他结构（P<0.05）。子宫结构的 APT 值与月经周期的 Pearson 相关系数分别为 0.686、0.743 和 0.684。
月经周期对子宫结构的 APT 信号强度有显著影响，而绝经前年龄无显著影响。在使用 APT 诊断疑似子宫病变时，应考虑子宫结构在月经周期中的变化。
