Novel Adjunctive Treatment for Cervical Adhesion with Cross-Type Nelaton Catheter: A Preliminary Report and Literature Review

Abstract

Objective: Intrauterine adhesion remains a common complication post dilatation and curettage (D&C) in reproductive females. Internal cervical orifice adhesion (ICA) is also observed incidentally after D&C. Here, we introduce a novel adjunctive management for ICA with cross-type nelaton catheter. Materials and Methods: In this study, 20 patients suffering from amenorrhea and ICA after D&C were included. All individuals underwent flexible hysteroscopy to confirm their simple ICA statuses. All women accepted the insertion of simple cross-type nelaton catheter. Two weeks post insertion, the catheter was removed and a secondlook hysteroscopy was performed. Three months post catheter removal, the menstruation statuses and the efficiency of nelaton catheter in preventing ICA were evaluated. Results: Nineteen patients had 3-month follow-up. Seventeen individuals (89.4%) had normal menstruation flow as well as the impact internal orifice of cervical canal. Only two patients (10.5%) had hypomenorrhea and fibrotic narrowing of the internal orifice of the cervix, which required resectoscopy to remove the internal cervical adhesions. All patients appeared the competence of endurance for these procedures. Conclusion: The novel cross-type nelaton catheter is a simple, well tolerated, and highly effective method for the management of ICA after D&C.

Keywords

• flexible hysteroscope
• intracervical adhesion
• intrauterine adhesion
• nelaton catheter