Epidemiology and spectrum of positive bacteriological culture in intrauterine fluid collected from women with postmenopausal bleeding

Epidemiological analysis of hydrometra and its predictive value in gynecological tumors

Introduction

Hydrometra is a common gynecological disease, especially in postmenopausal women. However, its epidemiology, harmfulness, and value in predicting gynecological tumors have not been clearly elucidated.

Methods

In this study, the prevalence rate of and risk factors for hydrometra were investigated in 3,903 women who underwent screening for gynecological diseases at Zhoupu Hospital in Shanghai from 1 January to 31 December 2021. In addition, pathological distribution of hydrometra and its predictive value in gynecological tumors were studied in another 186 patients in whom hydrometra was diagnosed sonographically at Zhoupu Hospital, from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2021, and who underwent hysteroscopy and postoperative pathological examination.

Results

The observed prevalence rate of hydrometra was 10.86%, which was higher than the prevalence of other gynecological diseases. Univariate and multivariate analysis indicated that advanced age (OR 1.11) and vaginitis (OR 3.18) were independent risk factors for hydrometra. Among 186 patients with a sonographic diagnosis of uterine fluid, simple hydrometra accounted for 34.41% of cases, inflammation accounted for 16.23%, and hematometra accounted for 2.15%, while gynecological tumors accounted for 5.91%. Moreover, univariate and multivariate analysis indicated that a higher body mass index (>23.92 kg/m²), greater hydrometra volume (i.e., distance between the two layers of endometrium>4.75 mm), and abnormal vaginal bleeding were high-risk predictive factors for gynecological tumors.

Discussion

In conclusion, hydrometra is a common disease, and is a risk factor for endometrial cancer and cervical cancer, especially in patients with higher hydrometra volume, higher BMI, and abnormal vaginal bleeding. It is necessary to pay more attention to hydrometra.

Clostridium hastiforme bacteraemia secondary to pyometra in a 64-year-old woman

The Gram-negative, rod-shaped, anaerobe bacteria Tissierella praeacuta was first described in 1908 by Tissier. However, during the past decade, Clostridium hastiforme has been recognised as a later synonym of T. praeacuta. C. hastiforme/T. praeacuta has only rarely been described in previous literature as a cause of human infection. We present here a case report of C. hastiforme/T. praeacuta bacteraemia secondary to pyometra in a 64-year-old woman with a history of multiple sclerosis and an intrauterine device inserted three decades earlier. C. hastiforme/T. praeacuta was isolated from blood as well as pus from the site of infection. The patient was cured with a combination of drainage and antibiotic therapy.

Reappraisal of endometrial thickness for the detection of endometrial cancer in postmenopausal bleeding: a retrospective cohort study

OBJECTIVE

To estimate the accuracy of transvaginal ultrasound (TVS) measurement of endometrial thickness (ET) in diagnosing endometrial cancer in postmenopausal women with vaginal bleeding (PMB).

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study.

SETTING

One-stop PMB clinic in a Hong Kong teaching hospital.

POPULATION

A cohort of 4383 women with PMB.

METHODS

Transvaginal ultrasonic measurement of ET and endometrial biopsies were obtained in women presenting with PMB between 2002 and 2013. Endometrial histology was used as the reference standard to calculate accuracy estimates.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Accuracy data for TVS ET presented as sensitivity, specificity, and area under the receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve.

RESULTS

Endometrial cancer was diagnosed in 3.8% of women. The median ET in those with endometrial cancer was significantly higher than those with benign conditions (15.7 versus 3.2 mm, P < 0.001). The area under the ROC curve was 0.92 (95% CI 0.89-0.94). The sensitivity for the detection of endometrial cancer at 3-, 4-, and 5-mm cut-offs were 97.0% (95% CI 94.5-99.6%), 94.1% (95% CI 90.5-97.6%), and 93.5% (95% CI 89.7-97.2%), respectively. The corresponding estimates of specificity at these thresholds were 45.3% (95% CI 43.8-46.8%), 66.8% (65.4-68.2%), and 74.0% (72.7-75.4%).

CONCLUSIONS

Transvaginal ultrasound using a 3-mm cut-off has high sensitivity for detecting endometrial cancer and can identify women with PMB who are highly unlikely to have endometrial cancer, thereby avoiding more invasive endometrial biopsy.