Comparative study of diagnostic hysteroscopy and transvaginal ultrasonography in patients with abnormal uterine hemorrhage during the peri- and post-menopausal period

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to determine the diagnostic value of hysteroscopy and transvaginal ultrasonography in patients with abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) in the peri and postmenopausal period. METHODS: 302 patients with AUB, underwent hysteroscopy and in 86 cases, also a transvaginal ultrasonography before hysteroscopy was performed. Results were compared with the histological diagnosis. RESULTS: The diagnostic accuracy of hysteroscopy was very high in the cases of endometrial carcinoma (sensibility 100%, specificity 99%), and lower in the cases of endometrial hyperplasia (sensibility 69%, specificity 72%) and endometrial atrophy (sensibility 29% and specificity 97%). Sonography proved to be less reliable in the diagnosis of endometrial pathology (carcinoma: sensibility 57%, specificity 100%, hyperplasia: sensibility 62.5% specificity 63%). The results of this study show that sonography may be used as a first choice diagnostic test in the investigation of women with AUB. CONCLUSIONS: Hysteroscopy represent a second diagnostic step for achieving a proper histologic diagnosis.     

Changes of lipid peroxidation parameters in children being treated for cancer

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To determine sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and global diagnostic precision of hysteroscopic exploration in the diagnosis of endometrial hyperplasia and adenocarcinoma in women with abnormal uterine bleeding. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis. SETTING: University-affiliated hospital. PATIENTS: One thousand three hundred ninety-eight patients with abnormal uterine bleeding, 57.3% premenopausal and 42.6% postmenopausal. INTERVENTIONS: Diagnostic hysteroscopy and subsequent dilatation and curettage. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Endometrium was classified hysteroscopically as normal, atrophic, endometrial hyperplasia, and endometrial carcinoma. Histopathologic diagnosis was performed to determine the efficacy of hysteroscopy in diagnosing endometrial hyperplasia and adenocarcinoma. For endometrial hyperplasia in premenopausal women, sensitivity was 71.8%, specificity 96.4%, and global diagnostic precision 92.5%; in postmenopausal women, respective figures were 85. 1%, 100%, and 97.3%. For diagnosing adenocarcinoma in premenopausal patients, hysteroscopy was 100% sensitive, with specificity 99.4% and global diagnostic precision 99.5%; in postmenopausal women, respective figures were 100%, 99.4%, and 99.5%. CONCLUSIONS: In women with abnormal uterine bleeding, diagnostic hysteroscopy is a basic tool that allows precise diagnosis of endouterine lesions such as polyps and submucous myomas. It also is highly accurate for evaluating endometrial adenocarcinoma and hyperplasia.     

Transvaginal ultrasonography and hysteroscopy in the diagnosis of endometrial abnormalities

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To investigate the value of transvaginal ultrasonography, aspiration biopsy, and hysteroscopy combined with curettage or directed biopsy in detecting endometrial pathology in women with abnormal uterine bleeding. DESIGN: Prospective, nonrandomized study. SETTING: A university-affiliated hospital. PATIENTS: One hundred twenty-two premenopausal and 78 postmenopausal women with abnormal uterine bleeding. INTERVENTIONS: The women underwent transvaginal ultrasonography (TVS) combined with aspiration Pipelle biopsy. They were scheduled for hysteroscopy and endometrial sampling by curettage or directed biopsy within 4 weeks. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Ultrasonographic findings were evaluated on the basis of final diagnoses established by hysteroscopy and histologic examination. The endometrium was measured at its thickest part in the longitudinal plane. In premenopausal women, endometrial thickness was measured during the early proliferative phase of the cycle. Ultrasound examination was considered negative if single-layer thickness was less than 5 mm in the absence of endometrial projections. In all other cases it was classified as positive. For postmenopausal women the cutoff point was 4 mm (single layer). In postmenopausal women with endometrial thickness less than 4 mm, as well as in premenopausal patients with negative TVS, the combination of TVS and aspiration biopsy missed only one case of atypical hyperplasia. In premenopausal patients TVS clearly detected 73% of polyps and myomata, permitting diagnostic and surgical hysteroscopy to be performed at the same time. In postmenopausal women with endometrial thickness 4 mm or greater, aspiration biopsy failed to detect two cases of atypical hyperplasia and one of focal adenocarcinoma. Pipelle sampling was technically infeasible in a woman with endometrial cancer because of a stenotic cervix. It also missed the majority of benign lesions (polyps and myomas). CONCLUSIONS: Transvaginal ultrasound seems to be an excellent initial diagnostic method, with high sensitivity in diagnosing endometrial abnormalities. Its combination with aspiration biopsy seems to be safe in women with a thin endometrium. Hysteroscopy is necessary in postmenopausal women with an endometrium of 4 mm or more, as well as in premenopausal patients with endometrial thickness more than 5 mm (preovulatory phase of the cycle) and in those with suspected polyps or myomas.     

Surgical hysteroscopy or hysterectomy in the treatment of benign uterine lesions. What to choose in 1998?

In the past, the treatment of benign uterine lesions required, in many instances, a hysterectomy. These days, most cases can be successfully treated by hysteroscopy. To be reliable, this technique must lead to a significant reduction in the number of hysterectomies performed for benign uterine lesions. The electroresection technique is preferred to that using the Nd-YAG laser because of its lower cost and its equivalent efficacy. By using the uterine perfusion pump device, the risk of resorption syndrome can be reduced to its minimum. Submucosal myomas < 1 cm, benign endometrial hyperplasia and adenomyosis are the commonest benign lesions treated. Dysfunctional uterine bleeding can also be treated by an endometrectomy. A preoperative workup includes a transvaginal ultrasound and a biopsy. This ensures that only benign lesions that are accessible to a hysteroscopy will be submitted to this technique and that no cases of endometrial cancer or atypical hyperplasia would be ignored. This study presents 270 cases of operative hysteroscopy with a follow-up to 4 years. 82.8% of myomatous lesions were treated with success. The results for patients with benign endometrial polyps or benign endometrial hyperplasia are also excellent with only 4.6% and 5.6% rate of secondary surgery respectively. Adenomyosis does not appear to be a good indication for hysteroscopy as only 37% of patients did not need a definitive hysterectomy. Rates of operative complications (post-operative bleeding, uterine perforation, resorption syndrome and difficulty of access) are acceptable and get less frequent as the surgeon experience increases.     

The efficacy of hysteroscopy: a comparison of women presenting with infertility versus other gynaecological symptoms

The aim of this study was to compare the relative efficacy of hysteroscopy as a management tool in the routine initial assessment of women presenting for investigation of infertility with women presenting for investigation of other general gynaecological symptoms for which it is routinely performed. The results of 400 consecutive completed hysteroscopies performed during the primary investigation of infertility are compared with 400 consecutive completed hysteroscopies undertaken in the investigation of women with other gynaecological symptoms. Abnormalities were detected in 12.3% of the 800 hysteroscopies. Significantly less of the infertility group demonstrated abnormality (8.8%) compared to the general gynaecological group (15.8%) (p = 0.0034). There was no difference in the detection rate between primary and secondary infertility. In patients undergoing the procedure for infertility, the results of the hysteroscopy led to an alteration in management in 5.8% of the entire group and in 65.7% of those in whom an abnormality was detected. In patients undergoing the procedure for general gynaecological symptoms, the results of the hysteroscopy led to an alteration in management in 14.5% of the total group and in 97.2% of those in whom an abnormality was detected (p < 0.0001). Structural abnormality correlated with the presence of histological abnormality in 97.2% of cases. In infertile women, the use of hysteroscopy is supported as part of a comprehensive assessment of female reproductive anatomy.     

Endometrial hyperplasias: histology, classification, prognostic significance and therapy

Carcinomas of the endometrium are the most frequent neoplasias of the female genital tract. Precancerous lesions of the endometrium, including simple hyperplasia with and without atypism, complex hyperplasias as well as atypical complex hyperplasias occur 4.5 times more. The existence of hyperplastic or precancerous lesions of the endometrium is well established, but differences in terminology and difficulties in interpretation have complicated the communication between morphologists and clinicians. The risk of a metachronous endometrial carcinoma increases from about 1% in simple hyperplasia to 29-45% in atypical complex hyperplasia. Therapeutic procedures include the gestagen-therapy, depending from age and reproductive status of the women. Atypical complex hyperplasia requires the hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy to treat a possible simultaneous carcinoma. Transvaginal sonography, hysteroscopy and pulsed Doppler sonography give additional informations and allows to distinguish a pathological from a normal endometrium. These methods may reduce the number of unnecessary diagnostic dilatation and curettage procedures, especially in patients with additionally cardio-vascular and other risk factors. But the histological examination of curettage material is still the "gold standard" for distinguishing between a normal and a pathologic endometrium. The classification and histologic criterias of precancerous lesions of the endometrium is presented and the need for better communication between pathologists and gynecologists is emphasised.     

A hysteroscopic and anatomicopathological study in women with breast cancer

OBJECTIVE: To study the uterine mucosa of women with breast cancer in order to evaluate the frequency of endometrial diseases. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Prospective, controlled study carried out from January to December 1996. SURROUNDINGS: Patients with breast cancer and normal controls from 4 out-patient university services in Porto Alegre, Brazil. PATIENTS: Postmenopausal women without hormonal therapy were compared: 67 of them with breast cancer and 101 normal controls. METHODS: Hysteroscopy followed by endometrial biopsy carried out in both groups as an out-patient procedure. RESULTS: In patients with breast cancer, 29.85% abnormal biopsies were found as follows: 10 endometrial polyps (15.0%), 8 with proliferative changes (11.9%), 1 case of cancer (1.5%), and one case of hyperplasia (1.5%). In the control group 8% abnormal morphological findings were found, as follows: 4 (4%) with endometrial polyps and 4 (4%) with proliferative changes. The differences in abnormal biopsies were statistically significant, mainly in patients with corporal mass index above 27.3. The sensibility of hysteroscopy was 82.14%; its specificity 97.16%; its predictive positive value 85.18% and its predictive negative value 96.48% in detecting endometrial activity, for a prevalence of 16.7% of endometrial activity. CONCLUSIONS: Endometrial evaluation must be included in the initial evaluation of patients with breast cancer, mainly if they were obese. Hysteroscopy, performed in out-patient basis, showed to be an adequate method to evaluate the uterine mucosa, helping to select the area of this cavity for biopsy.     

Curettage vs. hysteroscopic resection

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of curettage vs hysteroscopic resection in the treatment of endometrial polyps. A group of 25 patients were examined and during surgery underwent diagnostic hysteroscopy, curettage of the uterine cavity, control hysteroscopy and resectoscopy in the event of residual polyps. Thirteen cases revealed the total persistence of the polyp after curettage and in 6 cases the polyp was only partially removed; the polyp was detached but not removed from the uterine cavity in 4 cases and the polyp was fully removed using the curette in only 2 cases. The considerable limits of curettage which emerge from this study appear to be linked to three main factors: the localization, nature and size of endometrial polyps. Curettage may therefore now be considered a method which has been surpassed in not only diagnostic but also therapeutic terms by hysteroscopic techniques.     

5-Fluorouracil + cisplatin + mitomycin C is a relatively most effective combination against xenograft lines of human colorectal cancer

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of transvaginal ultrasound measurement of endometrial thickness, cytology obtained by Gynoscann, and histology of the endometrium sampled by Uterine Explora Curette compared with histology of the uterine specimen as the gold standard. METHODS: Consecutive patients admitted for hysterectomy had transvaginal ultrasound, sampling by Gynoscann, and Uterine Explora Curette done just before surgery, after informed consent. RESULTS: A total of 181 women entered the study. Sixteen had endometrial cancer, seven had atypical hyperplasia and nine had complex hyperplasia. A total of 168 patients had a transvaginal ultrasound done. At a cutoff limit of 4mm (endometrial thickness of 4mm or less indicating normal endometrium), the sensitivity was 90.3%, the specificity 24.8%, the positive predictive value 21.4% and the negative predictive value 91.9%. One endometrial cancer, one atypical and one complex hyperplasia were missed. The Gynoscann method showed a sensitivity of 62.5%, a specificity of 94.0%, a positive predictive value of 69.0% and a negative predictive value of 92.1%. Two cancers, three atypical and six complex hyperplasia were missed. The Uterine Explora Curette showed a sensitivity of 90.6%, a specificity of 100.0%, a positive predictive value of 100.0% and a negative predictive value of 98.0%. One endometrial cancer and two complex hyperplasia were missed. CONCLUSION: Transvaginal ultrasound is a reliable method in excluding endometrial pathology. The Uterine Explora Curette was superior to Gynoscann in diagnosing neoplasia of the endometrium. It was found to have the same diagnostic accuracy as conventional dilatation and curettage.     

Operative hysteroscopy: minimally invasive surgery to control of menorrhagia

Diagnostic hysteroscopy is a valuable method for evaluation of intrauterine disorders. After diagnosing, the endoscopic treatment of these pathologies is the major question of past decade. Possibility of solving cause of infertility or abnormal uterine bleeding without laparotomy or hysterotomy/hysterectomy is the great advantage of operative hysteroscopic methods. In Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of University Medical School of Debrecen more than 1400 hysteroscopic interventions were performed from 1 September 1989 to 31 December 1996. In treatment of intractable uterine bleeding 347 operative hysteroscopy (targeted biopsy, polypectomy, transcervical endometrial ablation, fibroid resection etc.) were performed. The rate of complications was low, only 2% (4 perforations and 2 bleedings). The high success rate and low rate of complications offers a modern, safe, minimally invasive method for treatment of menorrhagia.     

Usefulness of transvaginal ultrasound and hysteroscopy in diagnosing endometrial hyperplasia and endometrial carcinoma

Modern methods enabling evaluation of endometrium in all phases of the menstrual cycle were presented. Transvaginal ultrasound does not give characteristic pictures. The most frequently observed sonographic features in endometrial hyperplasia and endometrial carcinoma were compared. Most frequently, in 29% we observed the thickening of the endometrium. The enlargement of the uterine body was detected in 27%. The dominant feature in endometrial carcinoma was distortion or lack of medium-focus echo-90%. Different echogenicity was observed in 69% of all cases. Application of hysteroscopy enables us to visualize changed endometrium and also to sample focal lesions for histopathological examination. Endometrial carcinoma was detected in all analyzed cases with application of hysteroscopy and ultrasound. Pathological endometrial hyperplasia was diagnosed by ultrasound only in 44% and with application of hysteroscopy in 84% of all material.     

Comparison of carbon dioxide and normal saline for uterine distension in outpatient hysteroscopy

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate patient acceptance and the clinical feasibility of carbon dioxide compared with normal saline for uterine distension in outpatient hysteroscopy. DESIGN: Prospective, randomized clinical trial. SETTING: Outpatient hysteroscopy clinic in a university hospital. PATIENTS: One hundred fifty-seven patients undergoing outpatient hysteroscopy. INTERVENTIONS: Outpatient hysteroscopy was performed with carbon dioxide or normal saline with endometrial biopsy when indicated. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Need for local anesthesia, cervical dilatation, view of uterine cavity, need to change from carbon dioxide to normal saline distension, procedure time, patient discomfort (lower abdominal pain, shoulder tip pain, nausea) and complications. RESULTS: Carbon dioxide was used for uterine distension in 79 women and normal saline was used in 78. Cervical dilatation was required more often with carbon dioxide hysteroscopy, although there was no increased requirement for local anesthesia. Hysteroscopic vision was similar between the two media, but eight carbon dioxide cases had to be converted to liquid distension. Procedure times were significantly longer for carbon dioxide hysteroscopy as was the occurrence of bubbles during the procedure. Lower abdominal pain and shoulder tip pain were significantly worse with carbon dioxide distension. Although the incidence of nausea and vomiting was higher with the use of carbon dioxide, the differences did not achieve statistical significance. CONCLUSION: The use of normal saline for uterine distension had no adverse affects on the hysteroscopic view. It provided a shorter operating time and was well accepted by patients. Because of its easy availability and low cost, normal saline is an excellent alternative to carbon dioxide in women undergoing outpatient hysteroscopy.     

Transvaginal ultrasonography compared with endometrial biopsy for the detection of endometrial disease. Postmenopausal Estrogen/Progestin Interventions Trial

BACKGROUND: Transvaginal ultrasonography is a noninvasive procedure that may be used to detect endometrial disease. However, its usefulness in screening for asymptomatic disease in postmenopausal women before or during treatment with estrogen or estrogen-progesterone replacement is not known. METHODS: We compared the sensitivity and specificity of transvaginal ultrasonography and endometrial biopsy for the detection of endometrial disease in 448 postmenopausal women who received estrogen alone, cyclic or continuous estrogen-progesterone, or placebo for three years. RESULTS: Concurrent ultrasonographic and biopsy results were available for 577 examinations in the 448 women, 99 percent of whom were undergoing routine annual follow-up. Endometrial thickness was less than 5 mm in 45 percent of the examinations, 5 to 10 mm in 41 percent, more than 10 mm in 12 percent, and not measured in 2 percent, and it was higher in the women receiving estrogen alone than in the other groups. Biopsy detected 11 cases of serious disease: 1 case of adenocarcinoma, 2 cases of atypical simple hyperplasia, and 8 cases of complex hyperplasia. Biopsy also detected simple hyperplasia in 20 cases. At a threshold value of 5 mm for endometrial thickness, transvaginal ultrasonography had a positive predictive value of 9 percent for detecting any abnormality, with 90 percent sensitivity, 48 percent specificity, and a negative predictive value of 99 percent. With this threshold, a biopsy would be indicated in more than half the women, only 4 percent of whom had serious disease. CONCLUSIONS: Transvaginal ultrasonography has a poor positive predictive value but a high negative predictive value for detecting serious endometrial disease in asymptomatic postmenopausal women.     

The effect of endoscopic sinus surgery on mucociliary clearance in patients with chronic sinusitis

In a prospective study 20 patients suffering from recurrent, therapy-refractory menorrhagias were pre-treated for endometrial ablation after exclusion of intrauterine abnormalities and histological pathology. Two injections of GnRH-analogues (3.75 mg leuprorelinacetate depot, Enantone Gyn, Takeda Pharma GmbH Aachen, Germany). Two weeks after the last injection a hysteroscopic surgery by roller-ball-techniques was performed in 10 patients and a balloon-thermocoagulation by Cavaterm-technique (Wallsten Medical, Morges, Schweiz) was performed in 10 patients. Both patients groups were comparable according to age and anamnesis. In a follow-up of 9 to 15 months we found about identical results. All 20 patients were satisfied with the treatment. The Cavaterm-coagulation is in comparison to the operative hysteroscopy a simple method for endometrial coagulation, and can also be used by an hysteroscopically inexperienced gynaecologists with simple technical equipment. In strict indication the Cavaterm-coagulation is a simple method of endometrial ablation in many patients.     

Endometrial evaluation prior to tamoxifen: preliminary results of a prospective study

The objective of this study was to try to identify, by pretreatment screening, a group of patients at higher risk of developing endometrial carcinoma on tamoxifen. Between January 1993 and January 1997, 360 postmenopausal patients with breast cancer were enrolled in this prospective study. Basal screening included gynaecologic examination with a Papanicolaou smear and endovaginal sonography. In the case of an abnormal ultrasound (endometrial thickness greater than 4 mm), an outpatient hysteroscopy with an endometrial biopsy was carried out. These examinations were repeated annually. By means of this preliminary evaluation, two groups of patients were identified: patients without initial lesions (group I) and patients with initial endometrial lesions (group II). These two groups of patients were followed up separately exactly in the same way. Endometrial lesions taken into account were: adenocarcinomas (in situ and invasive), polyps with or without atypia, myomas and adenomyotic lesions with irregular mucosa. After 3 years and after 4 years of follow-up, the percentage of atypical lesions was significantly higher in the group with initial lesions than in the group without initial lesions. This study suggests that a group of high risk patients more sensitive to the carcinogenic effect of tamoxifen can be identified by pretreatment evaluation.     

Operative hysteroscopy. American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists 1991 membership survey

The 1991 American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists membership survey on operative hysteroscopy had a total of 630 respondents (almost double the 1988 number) who reported performing 17,298 procedures as compared to 7,293 in 1988. Directed biopsy and endometrial ablation were the procedures reported most commonly. Endometrial ablation increased fivefold since 1988, and myomectomy increased fourfold. The majority of operative hysteroscopies were performed for a complaint of abnormal bleeding (73%). The most frequently reported complication was uterine perforation not requiring transfusion (11 per 1,000 procedures). The rate of water intoxication or pulmonary edema dropped from 3.4/1,000 in 1988 to 1.4/1,000 in 1991. However, some serious complications (eight laparotomies for bowel injury, three CO2 embolisms and three deaths) were reported for 1991.     

Medical service and the methodology of expertise (formalizing medical care)

The study was carried on 101 women in the perimenopause and postmenopause. The patients were divided into three groups, according to the results of the pathomorphological examination: I group--patients with simple hyperplasia; II group--patients with atypical hyperplasia; III group--patients with endometrial carcinoma. The simple hyperplasia predominates in the perimenopause, while the endometrial carcinoma was the most frequent cause for metrorrhagia in the postmenopausal women. When the endometrial carcinoma was combined with hyperplasia there were higher differentiation and less invasiveness of the endometrial carcinoma in these cases.     

Morbidity pattern, health care utilization and per capita health expenditure in a rural population of Tamil Nadu

This retrospective analysis intends to evaluate by histeroscopy the endometrial findings in a group of 63 patients in post-menopausal treated with tamoxifen for breast cancer. Our patients assumed tamoxifen for a different period between 6 and 120 months. Patients have been divided in two groups: I) patients undergoing hysteroscopy because of some clinical symptoms; II) patients who undergoing hysteroscopy as a routine examination. The most important observation of this work is the correlation between the presence of negative endometrium and low risk hyperplasia (LRH) associated to: symptomatology and duration of therapy. In the group of asymptomatic patients the LRH is found only after 3 years of treatment, while in the group of symptomatic patients, LRH is present within the first two years of treatment; beyond this period high risk hyperplasia (HRH) and endometrial carcinoma have been diagnosed. We also observed a higher incidence of endometrial polyps in this population than among the non treated group and among the symptomatic patients. From these data we conclude that hysteroscopy follow-up has to be performed in the group of patients treated with tamoxifen and that it would be necessary to have a hysteroscopy before the beginning of therapy and that this one has to be repeated once a year through the treatment. Obviously the symptomatic patients have to undergo hysteroscopy as soon as possible as a higher incidence of HRH and endometrial carcinoma has been detected in this group of patients.     

Severe atypical endometrial changes and sequential contraceptive use

Of eight young women, seven had a diagnosis of well-differentiated endometrial adenocarcinoma and one had atypical endometrial hyperplasia. The average age was 40.1 years, with 6.04 years of dimethisterone-ethinyl estradiol (Oracon) sequential contraceptive use. The patients were not typical of those in whom endometrial carcinoma develops. Although these cases do not prove that long-term administration of dimethisterone-ethinyl estradiol causes endometrial adenocarcinoma or atypia, they indicate that it may do so.     

The role of transvaginal ultrasonography and outpatient diagnostic hysteroscopy in the evaluation of patients with menorrhagia

To verify the reliability of transvaginal ultrasonography in diagnosing intrauterine disease and in evaluating the operability of submucous myomas and to determine the feasibility, acceptability and validity of hysteroscopy for menorrhagia, we performed a prospective 5 year study on 793 women of mean age +/- SD of 41.5 +/- 7.8 years. All the patients referred for excessive menstrual bleeding with uterine volume <12 week pregnancy who underwent complete physical examination, transvaginal ultrasonography and outpatient hysteroscopy with endometrial biopsy were included in the study. Outpatient hysteroscopy was not completed due to intolerance or was unsatisfactory due to excessive bleeding in 23 cases (2.9%). Only 28 women (3.5%) declared they would have refused the procedure had they imagined the pain involved. One case of pelvic infection was observed. Compared with hysteroscopy, transvaginal ultrasonography had 96% sensitivity, 86% specificity, 91% positive predictive value and 94% negative predictive value in the diagnosis of intrauterine abnormality. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of ultrasonography in identifying submucous myomas operable hysteroscopically (intramural extension <50%) were respectively 80, 69, 83 and 65% with a k index of agreement between ultrasonography and hysteroscopy of 0.48. Thus, considering the good specificity and high negative predictive value, transvaginal ultrasonography may be suggested as the initial investigation in menorrhagic patients, limiting hysteroscopy to cases with positive or doubtful sonographic findings.