Tehran University Medical Journal (Jul 2006)
A Comparison of Endometrial Biopsy, Transvaginal Ultrasonography and Dilation and Curettage in Diagnosis of Abnormal Uterine Bleeding
Abstract
Background: Abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) is a common presenting symptom indicative of abnormal menstrual bleeding patterns that may occur in anovulatory or ovulatory women.There are different ways to diagnose AUB, all requiring much time and energy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare the value of endometrial biopsy, transvaginal ultrasonography with dilation and curettage (D&C) which is the current gold standard procedure. Methods: A prospective-descriptive study was conducted on fifty patients referred to our center for refractory abnormal uterine bleeding who were candidates for hysterectomy. All patients underwent endometrial biopsy and transvaginal ultrasonography , followed by D&C as a Gold standard procedure in operating room just before surgery. Results: Mean age of patients was 46.62 years. Transvaginal utrasonography offered a sensitivity of 70% and specificity of 68% demonstrating the lowest numbers compared to D&C. Endometrial biopsy had a sensitivity of 70% and specificity of 75% that was better than sonography alone. Conclusion: D&C was the most useful and valuable procedure and addition of endometrial biopsy with transvaginal ultrasonography will not be of high value in diagnosis.