Causes of parity-related pelvic pain found incidentally on sacroiliac joint MRI: Osteitis condensans ilii and pelvic congestion syndrome

Abstract

Chronic Pelvic Pain (CPP) is defined as severe pain that persists continuously or intermittently for six months or longer in women, is unrelated to sexual intercourse or menstruation, is likely to cause functional limitation, and requires medical treatment. Osteitis Condensans Ilii (OCI) and Pelvic Congestion Syndrome (PCS) are known causes of CPP. Sacroiliac joint Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) can show different clinical mimickers of sacroiliitis and pelvic pain causes such as OCI and PCS. In this study, our aim was to investigate the frequency of OCI and PCS in patients referred to our clinic for Sacroiliac joint MRI due to low back-pelvic pain and to analyze their association with age, presence of sacroiliitis and multiparity. The the data of 700 female patients who attended the hospital with complaints of low back pain were investigated and it was found that the number of births experienced by the patient significantly correlated with OCI (OR:3.3) and PCS (OR:5.1). Even when MRI shows no evidence of sacroiliitis in a multiparous woman admitted with low back pain, these two differential diagnoses should still be considered by clinicians and radiologists.