Three-dimensional saline-infusion sonohysterography is useful for the identification of endometrial polyp

A follicular volume of >0.56 cm3 at trigger is the cutoff to predict oocyte maturity: a starting point for novel volume-based triggering criteria

OBJECTIVE

To determine the minimum follicular volume on the day of trigger that will correspond to a mature oocyte at egg retrieval by individualized follicular puncture and to calculate the mean follicular growth from ovulation induction to egg retrieval using SonoAVCfollicle.

DESIGN

A prospective observational study of 53 women undergoing in vitro fertilization, in which it was possible to identify unequivocally one or more follicles at trigger and egg retrieval using three-dimensional ultrasound.

SETTING

University-affiliated private in vitro fertilization center.

PATIENTS

The final sample included 206 follicles from 14 oocyte donors and 39 patients.

INTERVENTIONS

A three-dimensional ultrasound with SonoAVCfollicle was performed at trigger and egg retrieval. The same operator selected follicles that were identified easily on both scans and verified that they were apt to be aspirated individually. Follicles were punctured individually, recording the real aspirated volume and the maturity stage of the oocyte.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

The primary outcome was the relationship between follicular volume on the day of the trigger and the oocyte maturity stage. The secondary outcome was the rate of follicular growth from the day of trigger to the day of oocyte retrieval, as measured using SonoAVCfollicle.

RESULTS

On the day of trigger 206, follicles were selected. Of these, 5 could not be identified on the day of oocyte retrieval, probably because of follicular rupture (mean volume: 4 cm3, range: 2-7 cm3), and in 48, an oocyte was not obtained. The relationship between follicular volume and oocyte maturity was studied in 153 follicles: 125 (82%) contained mature and 28 (18%) contained immature oocytes. Receiver operating characteristic curves showed an area under the curve value of 0.73 (95% confidence interval: 0.65-0.80). A follicular volume of >0.56 cm3 is the cutoff point, with the highest Youden index having a sensitivity of 85% and a specificity of 64% to predict oocyte maturity. The mean follicular growth from trigger to egg retrieval was 26%-50% in 53% of cases.

CONCLUSION

A follicular volume of >0.56 cm3 at trigger is the cutoff point with the optimal balance between sensitivity and specificity for oocyte maturity. Follicles of >2-3 cm3 may undergo spontaneous rupture before egg retrieval. Given these findings, we propose new volume-based criteria for trigger: 70% of follicles of >0.6 cm3 and dominant follicles between 2 and 3 cm3. These findings need validation by randomized controlled trials.

Management of women with abnormal uterine bleeding: Clinical practice guidelines of the French National College of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians (CNGOF)

OBJECTIVE

To provide French guidelines for the management of women with abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB).

DESIGN

A consensus committee of 26 experts was formed. A formal conflict-of-interest policy was developed at the beginning of the process and enforced throughout. The entire guidelines process was conducted independently of any industry funding (i.e. pharmaceutical or medical device companies). The authors were advised to follow the rules of the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE®) system to guide assessment of quality of evidence. The potential drawbacks of making strong recommendations in the presence of low-quality evidence were emphasized.

METHODS

The last guidelines from the Collège National des Gynécologues et Obstétriciens Français on the management of women with AUB were published in 2008. The literature seems now sufficient for an update. The committee studied questions within 7 fields (diagnosis; adolescents; idiopathic AUB; endometrial hyperplasia and polyps; type 0-2 fibroids; type 3 or higher fibroids; and adenomyosis). Each question was formulated in a PICO (Patients, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome) format and evidence profiles were compiled. The GRADE® methodology was applied to the literature review and the formulation of recommendations.

RESULTS

The experts' synthesis work and the application of the GRADE method resulted in 36 recommendations. Among the formalized recommendations, 19 are strong and 17 weak. No response was found in the literature for 14 questions. We chose to abstain from recommendations rather than providing advice based solely on expert clinical experience.

CONCLUSIONS

The 36 recommendations make it possible to specify the diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for various clinical situations practitioners encounter, from the simplest to the most complex.

[Management of women with abnormal uterine bleeding: Clinical practice guidelines of the French National College of Gynecologists and Obstetricians (CNGOF)]

OBJECTIVE

To provide French guidelines for the management of women with abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB).

DESIGN

A consensus committee of 26 experts was formed. A formal conflict-of-interest (COI) policy was developed at the beginning of the process and enforced throughout. The entire guidelines process was conducted independently of any industrial funding (i.e. pharmaceutical, or medical devices). The authors were advised to follow the rules of the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE®) system to guide assessment of quality of evidence. The potential drawbacks of making strong recommendations in the presence of low-quality evidence were emphasized.

METHODS

The last guidelines from the Collège national des gynécologues et obstétriciens français (CNGOF) on the management of women with AUB was published in 2008. The literature seems now sufficient for an update. The committee studied questions within 7 fields (diagnosis; adolescent; idiopathic AUB; endometrial hyperplasia and polyps; fibroids type 0 to 2; fibroids type 3 and more; adenomyosis). Each question was formulated in a PICO (Patients, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome) format and the evidence profiles were produced. The literature review and recommendations were made according to the GRADE® methodology.

RESULTS

The experts' synthesis work and the application of the GRADE method resulted in 36 recommendations. Among the formalized recommendations, 19 present a strong agreement and 17 a weak agreement. Fourteen questions did not find any response in the literature. We preferred to abstain from recommending instead of providing expert advice.

CONCLUSIONS

The 36 recommendations made it possible to specify the diagnostic and therapeutic strategies of various clinical situations managed by the practitioner, from the simplest to the most complex.

The clinical importance of polyp size measurement through two-dimensional saline infusion sonohysterography prior to hysteroscopic resection in predicting premalignant and malignant endometrial lesions

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the clinical importance of endometrial polyp size measured using saline infusion sonohysterography (SIS) before performing a hysteroscopic resection in predicting premalignant/malignant lesions.

METHODS

A retrospective observational study analysis was conducted of 365 patients, who underwent SIS, in a reference hospital. The longest plane of the polyp size was taken as base. Polyps were classified as benign, premalignant, or malignant.

RESULTS

The rates of premalignant and malignant lesions were 7.4% and 0.9%, respectively. The mean polyp size was 17.7 ± 0.5 mm in benign patients and 23.7 ± 1.8 mm in premalignant/malignant individuals (P < 0.001). In the group of polyps that were 0-10, 10-20, 20-30, and >30 mm, premalignancy/malignancy rates were 0.0%, 4.8%, 13.3%, and 18.8%, respectively. The cut-off value for polyp size to be able to predict lesions was calculated as 22.5 mm (sensitivity: 63%, specificity: 80%) on receiver operating characteristics curve analysis (P = 0.001, area under the curve 0.732). The power of the study was calculated as 90.86%.

CONCLUSION

During the female reproductive years, endometrial polyps smaller than 10 mm, as measured in SIS, can be followed. However, when the polyp size is 22.5 mm or more, especially in postmenopausal women, treatment should be planned.

ACR Appropriateness Criteria® Abnormal Uterine Bleeding

This publication summarizes the relevant literature for the imaging of patients with symptoms of abnormal uterine bleeding, including initial imaging, follow-up imaging when the original ultrasound is inconclusive, and follow-up imaging when surveillance is appropriate. For patients with abnormal uterine bleeding, combined transabdominal and transvaginal ultrasound of the pelvis with Doppler is the most appropriate initial imaging study. If the uterus is incompletely visualized with the initial ultrasou2nd, MRI of the pelvis without and with contrast is the next appropriate imaging study, unless a polyp is suspected on the original ultrasound, then sonohysterography can be performed. If the patient continues to experience abnormal uterine bleeding, assessment with ultrasound of the pelvis, sonohysterography, and MRI of the pelvis without and with contrast would be appropriate. The American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria are evidence-based guidelines for specific clinical conditions that are reviewed annually by a multidisciplinary expert panel. The guideline development and revision include an extensive analysis of current medical literature from peer reviewed journals and the application of well-established methodologies (RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method and Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation or GRADE) to rate the appropriateness of imaging and treatment procedures for specific clinical scenarios. In those instances where evidence is lacking or equivocal, expert opinion may supplement the available evidence to recommend imaging or treatment.

Comparison of diagnostic accuracy of saline infusion sonohysterography, transvaginal sonography, and hysteroscopy in evaluating the endometrial polyps in women with abnormal uterine bleeding: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction

In women with abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB), endometrial polyps are a frequent finding, and the risk of a focal (pre)malignancy in a polyp is up to 6%. Because of this reported risk, the detection of polyps in these women is important.

Aim

To evaluate and compare the diagnostic accuracy of saline infusion sonohysterography, transvaginal sonography, and hysteroscopy in detecting endometrial polyps in women with AUB.

Material and methods

The searches were conducted by two independent researchers to find the relevant studies published from 1/1/2009 until the end of 30/06/2019. We searched for published literature in English language in MEDLINE, EMBASETM, The Cochrane Library, and Trip database. For literature published in other languages, we searched national databases (Magiran and SID), KoreaMed, and LILACS. The risk of bias of every article was evaluated by using QUADAS-2.

Results

After selection and quality assessment, 11 studies were included. Based on the random effect model the total prevalence of endometrial polyps in women with abnormal uterine bleeding was 38%. The sensitivity and specificity of saline infusion sonohysterography in diagnosis of endometrial polyps were 0.87 and 0.86, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of transvaginal ultrasonography were 0.62 and 0.73 and the sensitivity and specificity of hysteroscopy were 0.92 and 0.85, respectively.

Conclusions

Although that sonohysterography is a safe and relatively cheap method, which allows ruling out or confirming endometrial polyps, it cannot be replaced with hysteroscopy due to the fact that hysteroscopy combined with biopsy is the gold standard for ruling out malignancies in an endometrial polyp.

Comparison of endometrial assessment by transvaginal ultrasonography and hysteroscopy

OBJECTIVE

To compare transvaginal ultrasonography and hysteroscopy for the diagnosis of endometrial pathologies.

METHODS

In the present retrospective cohort study, data were reviewed from women with ultrasonography findings suggestive of endometrial lesions and/or abnormal uterine bleeding who underwent hysteroscopy at a single center in Campinas, Brazil, between January 2011 and December 2013; data were stratified based on reproductive-aged and postmenopausal groups. The accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of ultrasonography and hysteroscopy for the diagnosis of endometrial lesions were determined. Histopathology was used as the gold standard.

RESULTS

There were 754 patients included (256 reproductive age, 498 postmenopausal). In the reproductive-age group, ultrasonography had a sensitivity of 96.0%, specificity of 58.0%, PPV of 94.4%, NPV of 66.6%, and accuracy of 91.5%, whereas hysteroscopy had a sensitivity of 91.8%, specificity of 76.6%, PPV of 96.0%, NPV of 60.5%, and accuracy of 89.7% for the diagnosis of endometrial disease. In the postmenopausal group, ultrasonography had a sensitivity of 99.0%, specificity of 19.0%, PPV of 96.1%, NPV of 50.0%, and accuracy of 95.3%, whereas hysteroscopy had a sensitivity of 96.7%, specificity of 86.9%, PPV of 99.2%, NPV of 58.8%, and accuracy of 96.2%.

CONCLUSION

Ultrasonography was found to be an effective method for the diagnosis of endometrial disease, especially among postmenopausal women.

Gynecologic Surgery: Preoperative Assessment With Ultrasound

Ultrasonography, especially 3D, is essential in the diagnosis and preoperative evaluation of gynecologic surgeries and is important in surgical planning and counseling of patients. In addition, it is useful during hysteroscopic procedures, particularly difficult Asherman syndrome cases, resection of transverse vaginal septum, and treatment of hematometria. 3D ultrasound is especially helpful for fibroid mapping as the simultaneous visualization of the endometrium and myometrium with the coronal view is possible, it can be done by the gynecologist and at a lower cost than an magnetic resonance imaging. The ability to visualize with ultrasound during surgery may reduce complications and eliminate the use of laparoscopy.

Accuracy of saline contrast sonohysterography in detection of endometrial polyps and submucosal leiomyomas in women of reproductive age with abnormal uterine bleeding: systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the diagnostic accuracy of two- (2D) and three- (3D) dimensional saline contrast sonohysterography (SCSH) in the detection of endometrial polyps and submucosal uterine leiomyomas in women of reproductive age with abnormal uterine bleeding compared with gold standard hysteroscopy.

METHODS

A systematic review of diagnostic studies that compared 2D- and/or 3D-SCSH with hysteroscopy and anatomopathology was conducted according to PRISMA and SEDATE recommendations. The databases MEDLINE, EMBASE and The Cochrane Library were searched electronically using specific terms with no restriction on language or publication year. Quality assessment of included studies was performed using the QUADAS-2 tool. Meta-analysis was performed with the Meta-DiSk program and data presented as forest plots and summary receiver-operating characteristics (SROC) curves. Pooled sensitivity, specificity and positive (LR+) and negative (LR-) likelihood ratios of SCSH in the detection of uterine cavity abnormalities were calculated.

RESULTS

A total of 1398 citations were identified and five studies were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis. Pooled sensitivity and specificity of 2D-SCSH in detecting endometrial polyps were 93% (95% CI, 89-96%) and 81% (95% CI, 76-86%), respectively, with pooled LR+ of 5.41 (95% CI, 2.60-11.28) and LR- of 0.10 (95% CI, 0.06-0.17). In the detection of submucosal uterine leiomyomas, pooled sensitivity and specificity were 94% (95% CI, 89-97%) and 81% (95% CI, 76-86%), respectively, with pooled LR+ of 4.25 (95% CI, 2.20-8.21) and LR- of 0.11 (95% CI, 0.05-0.22). 2D-SCSH had good accuracy in detecting endometrial polyps and submucosal uterine leiomyomas, with areas under the SROC curves of 0.97 ± 0.02 and 0.97 ± 0.03, respectively. Studies that analyzed the diagnostic accuracy of 3D-SCSH could not be compared due to high heterogeneity related to menopausal status, type of technique used and primary outcome being investigation of infertility.

CONCLUSIONS

2D-SCSH proved to be a highly sensitive method for detection of endometrial polyps and submucosal uterine leiomyomas, making it a potential first-line diagnostic method in the work-up for women with abnormal uterine bleeding. More studies are needed on 3D-SCSH in women of reproductive age. Copyright © 2016 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Assessment of the uterus with three-dimensional ultrasound in women undergoing ART

BACKGROUND

A detailed assessment of the uterus forms a pivotal part of the ART treatment process. The emergence of three-dimensional ultrasound (3D US) has provided clinicians with a highly powerful tool in this respect. Assessments with 3D US range from the reconstruction of anatomical planes elusive to conventional US, to the objective measurement of anatomical volumes and vascularization parameters. However, despite the ever increasing number of publications emerging in the literature, the question of which aspects of 3D US are of most clinical value remains a topic of debate.

OBJECTIVE AND RATIONALE

The objective of this review is to dissect which aspects of the 3D US assessment of the uterus are supported by a strong level of evidence to date, and should therefore be incorporated into current routine clinical practice.

SEARCH METHODS

We conducted a systematic search of the PubMed database up to May 2016, using a combination of text words and Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) pertaining to the 3D US assessment of the uterus. All articles published in the English language were screened to ascertain relevance to women of reproductive age; further citations were retrieved through manual reference list searching.

OUTCOMES

A multitude of predominantly observational studies were identified, which concerned a vast variety of 3D US uterine assessments. All articles unequivocally praised the non-invasive, cost-effective, highly acceptable and objective nature of 3D US. Studies regarding the value of assessing the endometrial volume and vascularization prior to embryo transfer appeared conflicting and inconsistent. Studies regarding the imaging of uterine pathology and identification of intratubal and intrauterine devices consistently reported high rates of diagnostic accuracy. A recent RCT did not show an improvement in clinical outcomes when comparing 3D versus 2D US during embryo transfer. However, preliminary studies suggested that 3D US is superior in determining the site of implantation, particularly in ambiguous cases such as interstitial and angular pregnancies. Finally, pilot studies have suggested that the further integration of 3D and possibly 4D US with surgical interventions of the uterus may be a promising prospect.

WIDER IMPLICATIONS

3D US may prove to be an invaluable tool in the assessment of the uterus within the context of ART. Currently, the aim should be to highlight the aspects of 3D US that are most evidence-based and valuable for patients, and to incorporate these into routine clinical practice.