A vaginal pessary is a device inserted into the vagina which can either be mechanical or pharmaceutical.

A mechanical pessary is most commonly used to treat uterine prolapse. It is also used to treat stress urinary incontinence, a retroverted uterus, cystocele and rectocele. A bewildering array of shapes and sizes are available.

A pharmaceutical pessary is imbued with compounds active locally.

An understanding of the radiological appearance of some of these devices is useful to avoid misinterpreting them.