Transvaginal sonographic assessment of premalignant and malignant changes in the endometrium in postmenopausal bleeding

• Published in: Journal of clinical ultrasound 1997-10, Vol.25 (8), p.431-435
• Main Authors: Fistonic, Ivan, Hodek, Branko, Klaric, Petar, Jokanovic, Ljubomir, Grubisic, Goran, Ivicevic-Bakulic, Tomislav
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Biological and medical sciences; cancer; Diagnostic Errors; Endometrial Hyperplasia - complications; Endometrial Hyperplasia - diagnostic imaging; Endometrial Hyperplasia - pathology; Endometrial Neoplasms - complications; Endometrial Neoplasms - diagnostic imaging; Endometrial Neoplasms - pathology; endometrium; Endometrium - diagnostic imaging; Endometrium - pathology; Endosonography; Female; Female genital diseases; Gynecology. Andrology. Obstetrics; Humans; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Postmenopause; Predictive Value of Tests; Reproducibility of Results; transvaginal ultrasonography; Tumors; Uterine Hemorrhage - diagnostic imaging; Uterine Hemorrhage - etiology; Uterine Hemorrhage - pathology; Vagina - diagnostic imaging
• ISSN: 0091-2751; 1097-0096
• DOI: 10.1002/(SICI)1097-0096(199710)25:8<431::AID-JCU4>3.0.CO;2-K

Purpose We explored the value of transvaginal sonography as a screening technique for endometrial abnormalities. Methods Transvaginal sonography was used to evaluate the likelihood that an endometrial abnormality was present in a group of 103 women with postmenopausal bleeding. Results Sonographic findings showed a mean endometrial thickness of 6.2 mm in patients with endometrial atrophy, 12.4 mm in patients with simple hyperplasia, 13.4 mm in patients with complex hyperplasia, and 14.1 mm in patients with endometrial carcinoma. There was no statistically significant difference in endometrial thickness measurements between the hyperplasia and endometrial carcinoma groups. However, the difference between these groups and the endometrial atrophy group was statistically significant. The mean age was significantly higher for patients with endometrial carcinoma (62 years) than for the patients in the other groups. Conclusions Our study shows that transvaginal sonography is a useful method of screening for endometrial abnormalities. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound 25: 431–435, 1997.