Histopathological patterns of endometrial lesions in patients with abnormal uterine bleeding in a cosmopolitan population

Abstract

Background: Endometrial diseases ranked among the most common gynecological disorders that aff ect women globally. These diseases cut across all age groups and contribute signifi cantly to increased maternal morbidity and mortality. Due to the wide range of histopathological patterns, the need for urgent diagnosis and treatment cannot be overemphasized. Aim: The aim of this study is to highlight the frequency and histological types and patterns of the endometrial lesions in patients with abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) in private practice in Benin-City, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: H and E stained-slides of endometrial biopsies diagnosed at the Ashamas foundation histopathology diagnostic center in Benin-City for 10 years were archived and studied. Request forms were analyzed for clinical bio-data, diagnosis and type of biopsies carried out. Data were entered using Micro-soft Excel package and transferred to statistics software (statistical package for the social sciences Version 17, SPSS Incorperated, Chicago Illinois, USA) for descriptive analysis. Results: In all, 231endometrial lesions were received. Of these, 207/231 (89.6%) cases were seen in reproductive and perimenopausal age groups while 24/231 (10.4%) was encountered in postmenopausal age group. The age range and peak age incidence was 17-86 years and fourth decade respectively. The mean age was 38.8 (6.8) years In all 231 endometrial lesions, product of conception was the most common fi nding observed (n=64/231; 27.7%) in reproductive and pre-menopausal women. While the most frequently encountered lesion in postmenopausal women was complex endometrial hyperplasia (n=6/231; 2.6%). Conclusion: Histopathological patterns of endometrial biopsy and curettage of women presenting with AUB is variable. Product of conception was the most commonly encountered among reproductive women. Nevertheless, endometrial hyperplasia was most frequent in perimenopausal age group.  Keywords: Cancer, endometrium, histopathology, lesions, private practice