Could body mass index be an indicator for endometrial biopsy in premenopausal women with heavy menstrual bleeding?

PURPOSE: To evaluate the role of body mass index (BMI) in women with premenopausal heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) to identify patients who should undergo endometrial biopsy. METHODS: This prospective cohort study included 1120 premenopausal women who presented to the Gynecology Clinic, Bakirkoy Dr. Sadi Konuk Training and Research Hospital in Istanbul, Turkey, due to HMB and who underwent endometrial sampling. The abnormal endometrial histopathological results were analyzed by separating patients into groups of all abnormal findings (hyperplasia without atypia + hyperplasia with atypia + carcinoma) and hyperplasia with atypia + carcinoma. Sensitivity and specificity of the abnormal histopathological results were calculated in both groups using BMI cut-off values as 25, 30 and 35 and age cut-offs as 40 and 45 years. RESULTS: The rate of hyperplasia with atypia and carcinoma was sevenfold higher in women with a BMI ≥30 compared to those with a BMI ≤30 (95 % CI 2.4-17.9). In the analyses, BMI was a stronger risk factor in women younger than 45 years of age. The risk of endometrial carcinoma and atypical hyperplasia was twofold higher in patients older than 45 years when compared with patients younger than 45 years (95 % CI 1.1-5.1). CONCLUSIONS: All women with a BMI ≥30 and presenting premenopausal HMB should undergo endometrial biopsy regardless of age.

Total laparoscopic hysterectomy in obese and morbidly obese women.

BACKGROUND: The study aimed at estimating the effect of body mass index (BMI), used to classify non-obese, obese, and morbidly obese patients, on clinical outcomes in total laparoscopic hysterectomy (TLH) cases. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included 153 patients who underwent TLH for benign, premalignant, or malignant conditions between August 2010 and June 2013. Patients were divided into 3 groups according to BMI, and the following variables were analyzed: operation time, conversion rate, blood loss, total complications, and length of hospital stay. RESULTS: The mean BMI was 33.5 kg/m(2) (range, 22-61). Forty-four patients were non-obese (BMI <30), 73 were obese (30≤ BMI <40), and 36 were morbidly obese (BMI ≥40). In 138 patients (90.2%), hysterectomy was performed using an endoscopic technique. The rate of conversion to laparotomy (9.8%; 95% confidence interval (CI), 5.1-14.5), blood loss (70.5 ml; range, 10-700), total complications (5.9%), and length of hospital stay (2.9 d; range, 1-8) did not vary according to BMI. Operation time was longer in obese (p = 0.003) and morbidly obese (0.002) patients than in non-obese patients. CONCLUSION: TLH could be considered a safe and feasible alternative to abdominal hysterectomy in obese and morbidly obese patients.

Is there an appropriate cutoff age for sampling the endometrium in premenopausal bleeding?

AIM: To determine a cutoff age for endometrial evaluation in premenopausal abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB). METHODS: Histopathology reports of endometrial sampling performed due to AUB in women aged 50 years or less were reviewed retrospectively. Histopathological findings were categorized into three groups as follows: group 1: hyperplasia without atypia + hyperplasia with atypia + malignancy, group 2: hyperplasia with atypia + malignancy, and group 3: malignancy. RESULTS: Data from 2,516 patients were analyzed for this study. Overall, 13.5% of patients had endometrial hyperplasia without atypia, 1% of patients had hyperplasia with atypia and 0.6% of patients had malignant disease. Logistic regression revealed a significant difference in the odds ratios of group 1 in the age ranges of 40-45 and 45-50 years compared with <40 years (p = 0.001 and p = 0.01, respectively). There were no significant differences between the age groups for the odds ratio of group 2 and group 3. CONCLUSION: There is no cutoff age for sampling the endometrium in order to detect hyperplasia with atypia and cancer in premenopausal women with AUB. Therefore, the management of AUB should be tailored to each patient regardless of age, incorporating all risk factors for malignant disease.

Single square hemostatic suture for postpartum hemorrhage secondary to uterine atony.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to describe a novel technique for the treatment of postpartum hemorrhage and evaluate its effectiveness and safety. METHODS: Single square hemostatic suture was performed for uterine atony when postpartum hemorrhage did not respond to medical therapy and bilateral uterine artery ligation. We retrospectively reviewed the data of 11 women and evaluated their endometrial cavity with hydrosonography after a follow-up period of 8-34 months. RESULTS: The single square hemostatic suture successfully stopped bleeding in all of the cases. Of the 11 women, 2 could not be traced. Menstruation started without delay in nine women. One of the women achieved pregnancy 25 months after surgery. The six women who underwent hydrosonography had an intact endometrial cavity. CONCLUSIONS: For women who desire future fertility, and when bilateral uterine artery ligation is not sufficient to control PPH, single square suturing may be used as an effective and safe procedure.

Preoperative assessment of myometrial and cervical invasion in endometrial carcinoma by transvaginal ultrasound.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of transvaginal ultrasound (TVS) in preoperative assessment of the depth of myometrial infiltration and the presence of cervical invasion in endometrial carcinoma. METHODS: 298 consecutive patients with a diagnosis of endometrial cancer were evaluated by TVS within 3 days of surgical intervention. The depth of myometrial invasion was classified into two groups: no or <50% invasion and ≥50% invasion. Invasion of cervix was diagnosed when the neoplastic tissue distended the cervix and showed ill-defined borders with the cervical stroma. RESULTS: The sensitivity, specifity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV) and overall diagnostic accuracy of TVS in evaluation of the depth of myometrial infiltration were 68.4%, 82%, 65.1%, 84.1% and 77.5%, respectively. While the sensitivity and PPV were significantly higher among grade 3 tumors, the specifity, NPV and accuracy were significantly higher among grade 1 tumors. The sensitivity, specifity, PPV, NPV, and overall diagnostic accuracy of TVS in assessment of the presence or absence of neoplastic tissue in cervix were 76.5%, 99.3%, 86.7%, 98.2% and 98%, respectively. While the sensitivity and PPV were significantly higher among grade 1 tumors, the NPV and accuracy were significantly lower among grade 3 tumors. CONCLUSION: TVS can be considered as a feasible, economical and simple imaging modality with a high diagnostic accuracy for the prediction of cervical involvement. However, it is not a reliable method in estimating the depth of myometrial infiltration.