Navarro V, Acién M, Acién P. Applicability and Suitability of the Embryological-Clinical Classification of Female Genital Malformations: A Systematic Review.
J Clin Med 2024;
13:2988. [PMID:
38792529 PMCID:
PMC11121905 DOI:
10.3390/jcm13102988]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2024] [Revised: 05/13/2024] [Accepted: 05/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Complex urogenital malformations are clinically highly relevant; thus, they must be appropriately diagnosed and classified before initiating treatment. Background/Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the applicability and suitability of the embryological-clinical classification of female genital malformations. Methods: A systematic review of cases of genital malformations reported in the literature from 2000 to 2020 was conducted. Case reports and series with the following combinations: "female genital tract" AND (malformation OR anomaly OR müllerian anomaly OR uterine anomaly OR cervical anomaly OR vaginal anomaly OR cloacal anomaly OR urogenital sinus); and "female genital tract" AND (renal agenesis OR ectopic ureter) were searched. A total of 3124 articles were identified, of which 824 cases of genital malformation were extracted. The characteristics of each malformation were included in a database for further analyses. Results: Using the embryological-clinical classification, 89.9% of the published cases and 86.5% of the 52 cases defined as unclassifiable by their authors have been classified in this review. In 73 cases (72.2%), the classification of the malformation using the AFS system was incomplete because although the type of uterine anomaly of the AFS classification matched that of the embryological-clinical classification, characteristics of the urinary system or the vagina were overlooked when using the AFS system. Following a dispersion matrix, we have been able to show that the embryological-clinical classification system is able to classify and subclassify the genitourinary malformations more accurately. Conclusions: The applicability of the embryological-clinical classification has been confirmed after classifying most of the cases of genital malformation previously published. This system also provides a more complete and accurate classification than other classifying systems exclusively based on Müllerian duct development or uterovaginal parameters, demonstrating its suitability.
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