One of the most exciting parts of my job as a pediatric radiologist at Cincinnati Children’s is the collaboration with other doctors and their healthcare teams. Working together, we help provide the best care for our patients. One of my areas of special interest is in the imaging of pediatric gynecology. I have worked closely with Dr. Leslie Breech for over 10 years. Dr. Breech and I evaluate the uterus, ovaries and cervix of our patients by mostly performing pelvic ultrasounds or MRIs (Magnetic Imaging); sometimes CT imaging (computerized tomography) can also be helpful, but this imaging modality is not utilized as often.
This year I had the opportunity to attend the North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology (NASPAG)* annual meeting. This meeting was held in New Orleans April 11-13. I had the opportunity to meet other pediatric gynecologists and discuss the ways we image our patients. This particular meeting was extra exciting because Dr. Breech and I had the opportunity to present a session on How to Delineate Cervical Development and its Implication on Reconstruction. We were able to discuss the radiological challenges we face and ways to improve the imaging of the cervix and of the uterus.
Another major topic of discussion was, “How can we tell a normal cervix from abnormal one?” This is important because the appearance of the cervix can help with decisions for future surgery. A patient needs a cervix for her uterus to be functional. We have had many patients with complex issues like the absence of the cervix or a dysplastic cervix.
As a radiologist, I help provide as much information as possible about the anatomy to allow the pediatric gynecologist and the family to make the most informed decision as they discuss possible surgery strategies. It truly is this great use of teamwork that allows us to give the best care to our patients.
*The North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology (NASPAG), founded in 1986, is dedicated to providing multidisciplinary leadership in education, research and gynecologic care to improve the reproductive health of youth. (https://www.naspag.org/)
Featured photo: Dr. Kathy J. Helton-Skally (lf) and Dr. Lesley L. Breech (rt)
Contributed by Dr. Kathy J. Helton-Skally and edited by Tony Dandinao, RT(MR).
