Correlation between Manual Vacuum Aspiration and Endometrial Cell Sampler in Abnormal Uterine Bleeding

Objective: Office endometrial biopsy using an endometrial cell sampler is an accepted method of obtaining endometrial tissue for histopathologic evaluation in women with abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB). Manual vacuum aspiration (MVA) is considered an alternative method, but data specific to the use of MVA is limited. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of MVA compared to endometrial cell sampler for diagnosing causes of AUB. Materials and Methods: This prospective study enrolled women aged ≥35 years who presented with AUB during August 2015 to June 2016. For each patient, endometrial biopsy using an endometrial cell sampler was first performed followed by MVA. Correlation of endometrial histopathology between methods were analyzed using Kappa statistic. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) were evaluated. Results: Of the 162 patients enrolled, the data from 151 women were analyzed. Correspondence of histopathologic finding between tissue obtained from endometrial cell sampler and MVA was 72.8% (Kappa: 0.51). Correspondence of histopathologic finding between tissue obtained from MVA and the final most severe pathology used for treatment decision was 84.1% (Kappa: 0.72). MVA diagnosed all cases of malignancy, but endometrial cell sampler missed one case of malignancy. The overall sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of MVA was 84.5%, 100%, 100%, and 91.2%, respectively. Conclusion: The histopathologic findings of MVA were in good agreement with those of endometrial cell sampler, and MVA had high accuracy for diagnosing endometrial pathology. MVA is suggested as a reliable alternative procedure for endometrial biopsy in women with AUB.