3D Color Power Angio™ imaging:: a new method to assess intracervical vascularization in benign and pathological conditions

It is well known that angiogenesis is a fundamental event in the growth of tumors as well as in physiological conditions. In an ongoing prospective study involving eight women, we investigated the microvasculature within the cervix by the use of 3D Color Power Angio (TM) imaging. The ultrasound equipment was used in conjunction with specialized software providing high-resolution '3D-Angiomode'. The system provides the ability to visualize blood flow in small vessels that are undetectable by conventional color Doppler techniques and also to study the architecture and determine the number of blood vessels. Comparison of the vessels in the normal cervix with those in the cervix affected by carcinoma or bacterial or viral infection demonstrated that, in malignant tissue, there is a chaotic network of tortuous vessels traversing the tumor mass, whereas, in benign tissue or tissue that is inflamed as a result of infection, the course of the vessels has a regular structure.