Asymptomatic endometrial thickening in postmenopausal women: predictor of malignant pathology?

It is not standardised what is the endometrial thickness that discriminates between normal and potentially malignant. The objective of this study was to determine the endometrial thickness cut-off point from which the risk of endometrial cancer (EC) increases in asymptomatic postmenopausal women; and to evaluate the risk factors linked to malignant endometrial pathology as well as other associated ultrasound findings.This was a retrospective observational study that included hysteroscopies performed at the Hospital Materno-Infantil on 267 asymptomatic menopausal women with an increase in endometrial thickness (AET) >5 mm, from 2015 to 2019. The results shows that the prevalence of malignant pathology in asymptomatic postmenopausal women with a casual finding of endometrial thickening was 3.7%. This percentage was 16.3% when the cut-off point of AET was established at 10 mm. There was a significant association for the diagnosis of malignant pathology with this cut-off point.There is a significant association between the 10 mm endometrial thickness cut-off point from which the risk of EC increases in asymptomatic postmenopausal women.Impact statementWhat is already known on this subject? Several studies have established the cut-off point for asymptomatic endometrial thickening (AET) for atypical endometrial hyperplasia and endometrial cancer at 10 mm. Although no cut-off point has optimal accuracy for the diagnosis of malignant endometrial pathology, it has been found that with a cut-off value of AET >10 mm no cases are missed. Likewise, a cut-off point of AET > 11 mm may provide a balance between cancer detection and histopathological workup extension.What do the results of this study add? A significant association was found at the cut-off point of AET > 10 mm, which suggests that screening postmenopausal women at this thickness is acceptable and unlikely to miss cases of endometrial hyperplasia and endometrial cancer.What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? After analysing our results we can conclude, like other published studies, that by establishing a cut-off point of 10 mm we obtain a good discrimination between benign and malignant pathology, which would allow us to diagnose 100% of malignant pathology. Above this cut-off point, the risk of endometrial cancer increases, and it would therefore be advisable to extend the study. A multicentre study is needed to confirm the cut-off point at which the risk of endometrial cancer increases in postmenopausal women with asymptomatic endometrial thickening.

Vaginal approach in the repair of vesicovaginal fistula / Abordaje vaginal en la reparación de fístula vesicovaginal

Objective: We present our experience in the vaginal approach to repair of vesicovaginal fistula (VVF) without interposition of flaps in a series of 8 patients. Material and methods: We performed a retrospective descriptive study of patients who underwent surgery between January 2015 and August 2018. Eight patients were diagnosed with VVF and underwent surgical repair. We analyzed age, associated comorbidity, type of surgery performed, time to diagnosis, diagnostic sequence, and classification of the type of fistula. All patients underwent the same procedure. We analyzed operative time, complications, additional procedures, and final outcome. The surgical technique was performed transvaginally by the same surgical team in all 8 cases. Results: We repaired 8 VVFs. Mean age was 49 years. All patients had a simple fistula, with a good prognosis a priori. The fistulas measured between 10 and 15 mm. Time to repair ranged between 2 and 9 months. The average operative time was 123 minutes. There were no major intraoperative complications. The average hospital stay was 1.9 days. The success rate was 94.6% (7/8). One patient had to undergo additional surgery that was not completely successful. No recurrences were observed during a 12-month follow-up. Conclusions: The vaginal approach, without interposition flaps, has proven highly successful for the repair of uncomplicated simple VVFs, with results comparable to other routes of approach. Good preparation of the vaginal mucosa, adherence to the key principles of surgical repair of VVFs, and the experience of the surgeon are important variables that affect the success rate of the procedure

Objetivo: presentar nuestra experiencia en la reparación de las fístulas vesicovaginales mediante abordaje vaginal sin interposición de colgajos, en una serie de ocho pacientes. Material y métodos: estudio descriptivo retrospectivo de los casos intervenidos en el período de tempo comprendido entre enero 2015 a agosto 2018. Se diagnosticaron en nuestro centro un total de ocho pacientes con fístula vesicovaginal (FVV) que se sometieron a reparación quirúrgica. Se analizó la edad, comorbilidad asociada, tipo de cirugía realizada, tiempo de evolución desde la presentación de la clínica hasta el diagnóstico, secuencia diagnóstica y clasificación del tipo de fístula. Se realizó la misma cirugía reparativa para todas las pacientes y se analiza el tiempo quirúrgico, complicaciones, reintervenciones y resultado final. La técnica quirúrgica fue estrictamente reproducida vía transvaginal por el mismo equipo quirúrgico en todos los casos. Resultados: se repararon ocho fístulas vesicovaginales, con una edad media de las pacientes de 49 años. Todas ellas fueron clasificadas como fístula única simple, a priori de buen pronóstico. El tamaño de la fístula se estimó entre 10 mm y 15 mm. El tiempo de fistulización hasta la reparación osciló entre 2 y 9 meses. El tiempo operatorio promedio fue de 123 minutos. No se produjeron complicaciones mayores intraoperatorias. El tiempo de hospitalización promedio fue de 1,9 días. La tasa de éxito fue del 94.6% (7/8), hubo una persistencia que se reintervino sin éxito completo y no se observaron recidivas en un seguimiento de 12 meses. Conclusiones: el abordaje vaginal, sin interposición de colgajo, es un procedimiento con alta tasa de éxito en la reparación de FVV simple no complicada, con resultados equiparables a otras vías de abordaje. La buena preparación de la mucosa vaginal, respetar los principios claves en la reparación quirúrgica de las FVV y la experiencia del cirujano son variables importantes que condicionarán la tasa de éxito