Is Magnetic Resonance Imaging Sufficient to Diagnose Rudimentary Uterine Horn? A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Imaging is often part of the evaluation of gynecologic disorders, with transvaginal ultrasound being the most frequently used imaging modality. Although laparoscopy, hysterosalpingography, and hysteroscopy can add diagnostic accuracy, they are invasive and costly. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been increasingly used because it is both noninvasive and highly accurate. Although MRI is more expensive than ultrasound, it is less so than surgery. Given the demonstrated accuracy of MRI in assessing müllerian anomalies, additional imaging is not often sought once an MRI diagnosis is made. However, when imaging findings are not pathognomonic via MRI or otherwise, inaccurate diagnoses and their consequences may occur. We describe the case of a 21-year-old woman with unilateral dysmenorrhea whose MRI features suggested a unicornuate uterus with a hematometrous noncommunicating horn although laparoscopy ultimately revealed a necrotic myoma without an accompanying müllerian anomaly.