Megan Wasson, DO, and Ceylan Colak, MD, share how multidisciplinary collaboration advances endometriosis diagnosis and treatment

Research presented by Megan Wasson, DO, FACOG; and Ceylan Colak, MD, at the 2025 ACOG Annual Clinical and Scientific Meeting emphasizes how multidisciplinary collaboration and evolving imaging protocols are advancing the diagnosis and treatment of endometriosis.

Wasson, chair of gynecology at Mayo Clinic in Arizona and a minimally invasive gynecologic surgeon specializing in endometriosis, highlighted the impact of improved preoperative planning on surgical outcomes. “The ability to really know what you’re walking into in the operating room is really what sparked my interest in having that collaboration,” Wasson said. “Prior to the multidisciplinary care, it wasn’t uncommon that I would go into the operating room [and] find disease that I wasn’t expecting to be there, and then unfortunately, have to do another surgery for the patient.”

She noted that working closely with radiology has improved surgical accuracy. “Now being able to work with the radiology team and really know exactly what I’m going to be walking into, be able to trust that what they tell me is there, and if I can’t automatically see it, I have to go looking for it, has really elevated the care that I’m able to provide,” she said.

Imaging advances and screening protocols support earlier diagnosis

Colak, a staff radiologist at Mayo Clinic Rochester and assistant professor involved in abdominal, musculoskeletal, and emergency radiology, discussed the progress in imaging technologies and endometriosis-focused protocols. “It’s been advancing every single day, every single decade,” Colak said. “We have [better] technology. We see better. That’s why it is advancing in patient care. It is advancing in [the] diagnosis of that disease earlier than expected.”

Colak emphasized the value of imaging in creating an accurate surgical roadmap. “As a radiologist, I can say we are here to help, to give a great roadmap to our surgeons so that we can ultimately do better patient care,” she said.

Wasson added that standardized screening during pelvic ultrasounds is improving detection. “For example, if someone is having pelvic pain, and we’re getting a normal ultrasound to evaluate for pelvic pain and looking at the structure of the uterus [and] the ovaries, we also now do a slide sign on every single patient… to see how the rectum moves in relationship to the uterus,” she explained. “We’re screening these individuals, and that, in turn, is allowing us to find disease sooner, before symptoms become significant enough that they’re really impacting the quality of life.”

Communication and multidisciplinary care improve efficiency and outcomes

Wasson and Colak both noted the importance of structured interdisciplinary communication. “Time is honestly always the challenge,” Wasson said. “But when you prioritize it and have these multidisciplinary meetings, the care that we provide to patients is elevated so exponentially that you end up saving so much time because you’re not having to do a lot of back and forth.”

Colak echoed this sentiment. “This is a challenging disease. What we see on the imaging can sometimes be different from what they see during the surgery,” she said. “So we definitely need communication.”

Radiologic intervention expands treatment options

Radiologic advancements are also expanding therapeutic options for patients. “Endometriosis care has largely focused on medical management, surgical management, and now our radiology teams are doing intervention, which has really changed the game as well,” Wasson said.

She highlighted newer techniques such as cryotherapy and focused biopsies. “It has really allowed us to attack the disease in areas where previously it was very risky to remove the disease surgically, and now we’re able to tackle it through radiologic intervention, which is really beneficial to patients,” she said.

Disclosures:

Wasson and Colak report no relevant disclosures.

Reference:

Wasson M, Colak C. Collaboration with Radiology to Enhance Detection and Treatment of Endometriosis. Presentation. Presented at: 2025 American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Annual Clinical and Scientific Meeting. May 16-18, 2025. Minneapolis, Minnesota.