Sonographic and Hysteroscopic Assessment of Uterine Congenital Malformations: A Retrospective Study

Abstract

Aim: Congenital uterine malformations are often diagnosed via Transvaginal Sonography (TVS) and/or office hysteroscopy. Few studies address the diagnostic accuracy of both techniques in detecting these abnormalities. The aim of this study is to evaluate sonographic and hysteroscopic findings in women with uterine congenital malformations. Methods and Materials: A nested retrospective study on 137 medical records of women with congenital malformations undergoing vaginoscopic office hysteroscopic and transvaginal sonographic assessment in the Endoscopic Unit, Department of Gynaecology, University Hospital of Ioannina, Greece was conducted. All women were examined initially via Transvaginal Sonography (TVS) and the sonographic findings were correlated with the hysteroscopic findings. Women with septate or bicornuate uteri confirmed their pathology through laparoscopy, a proposed gold standard technique. Result: Hysteroscopy was able to detect 136 out of 137 cases of congenital malformations with a false positive bicornuate uterus. Transvaginal sonography (TVS) showed moderate diagnostic accuracy accompanied by positive predictive value (PPV) at 79.79%, negative predictive value (NPV) at 99.17%, sensitivity at 79.79%, and finally specificity at 99.17%. Endometrial thickness assessed by TVS was found to be higher in cases of complete septate and bicornuate uteri. The incidence of congenital malformation within the total population was estimated at 4.56%. Conclusion: Diagnostic hysteroscopy is a reliable tool in detection uterine congenital malformations compared to two-dimensional sonography. Office hysteroscopy demonstrates high diagnostic accuracy and should replace traditional sonographic assessment in determining congenital uterine malformations. Clinical significance: Hysteroscopy is superior than TVS in detecting uterine congenital malformations.