Could office endometrial biopsy be accurate as EBHR for assessing the preoperative tumor grade?

Hysteroscopic endometrial biopsy: from indications to instrumentation and techniques. A call to action

During the last twenty years, the diagnostic approach to endometrial pathology has radically evolved. For over a century, intrauterine blind biopsy techniques were considered the gold standard procedure for the histopathological diagnosis of intrauterine diseases. The advent of hysteroscopy, which made it possible to directly visualize the uterine cavity, and the subsequent miniaturization of the instruments allowing its use in the office setting without anesthesia are considered game-changers. To date, it is feasible to retrieve a targeted eye specimen of endometrial tissue with little or no discomfort for the patient in the office setting. To pursue this aim, several technological upgrades have improved the diagnostic accuracy of hysteroscopic endometrial biopsy. In this paper we provide an up-to-date review of the latest evidence regarding indications, instrumentations, and techniques for hysteroscopic endometrial biopsy, to help the operator in providing an adequate endometrial sampling for histopathological analysis.

Comparison of three biopsy forceps for hysteroscopic endometrial biopsy in postmenopausal patients (HYGREB-1): A multicenter, single-blind randomized clinical trial

OBJECTIVE

To compare three types of biopsy forceps for hysteroscopic endometrial biopsy in postmenopausal women.

METHODS

Postmenopausal women undergoing operative hysteroscopy with endometrial biopsy for abnormal uterine bleeding or endometrial thickness (≥5 mm) were included. Operative hysteroscopy with endometrial biopsy was performed by hysteroscopic forceps. Women were randomized (1:1:1 ratio) in three groups and allocated to undergo endometrial biopsy by hysteroscopy using spoon, alligator, or snake forceps.

RESULTS

Seventy-five women were included in the study, 25 in each group. The duration of the biopsy was comparable between the three groups (P = 0.334) with a median of 180 seconds (range 20-480 seconds). No differences were observed about the number of attempts (P = 0.602), the use of another instrument (P = 0.276), and the biopsy appropriateness (P = 0.592). The spoon forceps group reported higher levels of pain compared to the alligator and snake forceps groups (P < 0.001). The spoon forceps received significantly lower scores by the operator compared to the alligator and snake forceps (P < 0.001). The alligator and snake forceps reported wider biopsy than the spoon forceps (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Snake and alligator hysteroscopic forceps may be considered the first choice to perform an endometrial biopsy in postmenopausal women. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03427957.

Updates in office hysteroscopy: a practical decalogue to perform a correct procedure

Nowadays, hysteroscopy is the gold standard for the diagnosis and treatment of intrauterine pathologies as it represents a safe and minimally invasive procedure that allows the visualization of the entire uterine cavity. Numerous technological innovations have occurred over the past few years, contributing to the development and widespread use of this technique. In particular, the new small-diameter hysteroscopes are equipped with an operating channel in which different mechanical instruments can be inserted, and they allow not only to examine the cervical canal and uterine cavity but also to perform biopsies or treat benign diseases in a relatively short time without anesthesia and in an outpatient setting. In this scenario, the operator must be able to perform hysteroscopy in the correct way to make this procedure increasingly safe and painless for the patient. This review aims to describe the ten steps to perform a correct office hysteroscopy, starting from patient counseling to the therapy after the procedure.