Long-term complications of office hysteroscopy: analysis of 1028 cases.

ABSTRACT

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To estimate the long-term complication rate of office hysteroscopy with the vaginoscopic approach. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study (Canadian Task Force classification II-A). SETTING: University-affiliated teaching hospital with outpatient hysteroscopy facilities. PATIENTS Between January 2005 and October 2007, all consecutive patients undergoing office hysteroscopy with the vaginoscopic approach were analyzed, 1028 procedures in total. INTERVENTIONS: Therapeutic or diagnostic office hysteroscopy with the vaginoscopic approach. The complication registration of the gynecology department and a random sample of one third of the medical records were analyzed for long-term complications. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Of the 1028 hysteroscopic procedures, 622 (60%) were diagnostic, 328 (32%) were therapeutic hysteroscopic procedures, and 78 (8%) procedures failed. In the complication registration and in the medical charts, 1 significant complication could be identified. CONCLUSIONS: Office hysteroscopy with the vaginoscopic approach is a safe procedure. This study showed an extremely low risk of long-term complications.