A Retrospective Analysis of the Role of Transvaginal Sonography in the Evaluation of Patients with Abnormal Postmenopausal Bleeding

Post-menopausal bleeding is an increasingly common reason for referral to a gynaecology department. Whilst the bleeding could be attributable to a number of different reasons, these patients are more at risk of endometrial cancer than pre-menopausal women. As it is not possible to exclude endometrial carcinoma on clinical assessment alone, further investigative techniques are required. The role of diagnostic ultrasound in the evaluation of these patients varies within different hospitals; however, it is generally accepted that ultrasound is an appropriate first-line procedure to exclude the presence of endometrial pathology. This paper looks at 103 patients undergoing transvaginal ultrasound, hysteroscopy and biopsy investigations. The aim of the study was to correlate the hysteroscopy and biopsy findings with the appearances reported following the ultrasound scan, in order to determine the sensitivity and specificity of transvaginal scanning in detecting endometrial pathology. © 2004, Maney Publishing. All rights reserved