Removal of uterine polyps: clinical management and surgical approach.

Endometrial polyps have a reported prevalence from 7.8% up to 30% and are one of the most cost-consuming gynecological conditions for our specialty. There are strong practitioner beliefs that surgical removal of endometrial polyps is highly beneficial, particularly for those with abnormal uterine bleeding and infertility. Additionally, polypectomy is indicated to reduce the risk of malignancy. Transvaginal ultrasound is the first-line diagnostic option for detection of endometrial polyps, while sonohysterography has similar accuracy as hysteroscopy in the diagnostic confirmation. Blind dilatation and curettage is not recommended for polyp removal; rather, hysteroscopy in the operating room and office setting using small-diameter hysteroscopic equipment is the standard approach. This can be performed without anesthesia in most women. While hysteroscopy is an effective method for polypectomy with a low complication rate, it is unknown whether this is truly beneficial for reproductive-age women with infertility and prior assisted reproduction therapy. The risk of malignancy in women with postmenopausal bleeding justifies the necessity of polypectomy with histologic tissue examination. In asymptomatic women, the risk of malignancy is low, and there are no known benefits of polyp removal in the prevention of malignant transformation. Cost-effective studies remain to be done to provide us with the optimal approach to endometrial polyps including the management of asymptomatic and/or infertile women, ideal location including office-based or the operating room setting, complication prevention including intrauterine adhesions, and recurrence issues.

Congenital Uterine Malformation by Experts (CUME): diagnostic criteria for T-shaped uterus.

OBJECTIVES: To identify uterine measurements that are reliable and accurate to distinguish between T-shaped and normal/arcuate uterus, and define T-shaped uterus, using Congenital Uterine Malformation by Experts (CUME) methodology, which uses as reference standard the decision made most often by several independent experts. METHODS: This was a prospectively planned multirater reliability/agreement and diagnostic accuracy study, performed between November 2017 and December 2018, using a sample of 100 three-dimensional (3D) datasets of different uteri with lateral uterine cavity indentations, acquired from consecutive women between 2014 and 2016. Fifteen representative experts (five clinicians, five surgeons and five sonologists), blinded to each others' opinions, examined anonymized images of the coronal plane of each uterus and provided their independent opinion as to whether it was T-shaped or normal/arcuate; this formed the basis of the CUME reference standard, with the decision made most often (i.e. that chosen by eight or more of the 15 experts) for each uterus being considered the correct diagnosis for that uterus. Two other experienced observers, also blinded to the opinions of the other experts, then performed independently 15 sonographic measurements, using the original 3D datasets of each uterus. Agreement between the diagnoses made by the 15 experts was assessed using kappa and percent agreement. The interobserver reliability of measurements was assessed using the concordance correlation coefficient (CCC). The diagnostic test accuracy was assessed using the area under the receiver-operating-characteristics curve (AUC) and the best cut-off value was assessed by calculating Youden's index, according to the CUME reference standard. Sensitivity, specificity, negative and positive likelihood ratios (LR- and LR+) and post-test probability were calculated. RESULTS: According to the CUME reference standard, there were 20 T-shaped and 80 normal/arcuate uteri. Individual experts recognized between 5 and 35 (median, 19) T-shaped uteri on subjective judgment. The agreement among experts was 82% (kappa = 0.43). Three of the 15 sonographic measurements were identified as having good diagnostic test accuracy, according to the CUME reference standard: lateral indentation angle (AUC = 0.95), lateral internal indentation depth (AUC = 0.92) and T-angle (AUC = 0.87). Of these, T-angle had the best interobserver reproducibility (CCC = 0.87 vs 0.82 vs 0.62 for T-angle vs lateral indentation depth vs lateral indentation angle). The best cut-off values for these measurements were: lateral indentation angle ≤ 130° (sensitivity, 80%; specificity, 96%; LR+, 21.3; LR-, 0.21), lateral indentation depth ≥ 7 mm (sensitivity, 95%; specificity, 77.5%; LR+, 4.2; LR-, 0.06) and T-angle ≤ 40° (sensitivity, 80%; specificity, 87.5%; LR+, 6.4; LR-, 0.23). Most of the experts diagnosed the uterus as being T-shaped in 0% (0/56) of cases when none of these three criteria was met, in 10% (2/20) of cases when only one criterion was met, in 50% (5/10) of cases when two of the three criteria were met, and in 93% (13/14) of cases when all three criteria were met. CONCLUSIONS: The diagnosis of T-shaped uterus is not easy; the agreement among experts was only moderate and the judgement of individual experts was commonly insufficient for accurate diagnosis. The three sonographic measurements with cut-offs that we identified (lateral internal indentation depth ≥ 7 mm, lateral indentation angle ≤ 130° and T-angle ≤ 40°) had good diagnostic test accuracy and fair-to-moderate reliability and, when applied in combination, they provided high post-test probability for T-shaped uterus. In the absence of other anomalies, we suggest considering a uterus to be normal when none or only one criterion is met, borderline when two criteria are met, and T-shaped when all three criteria are met. These three CUME criteria for defining T-shaped uterus may aid in determination of its prevalence, clinical implications and best management and in the assessment of post-surgical morphologic outcome. The CUME definition of T-shaped uterus may help in the development of interventional randomized controlled trials and observational studies and in the diagnosis of uterine morphology in everyday practice, and could be adopted by guidelines on uterine anomalies to enrich their classification systems. Copyright © 2019 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Cutaneous small-vessel vasculitis following hysterosalpingo-foam sonography (HyFoSy).

We present a case of diffuse skin immune reaction, diagnosed as cutaneous small-vessel vasculitis, following assessment of tubal patency by contrast ultrasound, which appears to be the first reported case of hypersensitivity reaction to sonographic tubal patency testing, based on a literature search. A 32-year-old woman presented with non-thrombocytopenic palpable purpura the day after assessment of tubal patency by two-/three-dimensional hysterosalpingo-foam sonography (HyFoSy) using ExEm® Foam. During real-time ultrasound, the observer identified flow in only the right tube when using saline with air as contrast medium; however, the same observer identified flow in both tubes after injecting ExEm Foam and the woman left the clinic without any complications. The next day, the patient was admitted with a complaint of a red-purple skin rash noticed the same morning, associated with moderate leg pain. Slow-motion analysis of the recorded videos and three-dimensional ultrasound datasets showed previously unnoticed venous intravasation of ExEm Foam into the myometrial vessels. Palpable purpura is typically found in vasculitis as a result of extravasation of red cells outside the inflamed blood vessel. This previously unreported side effect of tubal patency testing by HyFoSy, its potential rare organ consequences, as well as unknown consequences of venous intravasation by foam, should be included in the informed consent prior to the examination. Copyright © 2019 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Septate uterus according to ESHRE/ESGE, ASRM and CUME definitions: association with infertility and miscarriage, cost and warnings for women and healthcare systems.

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the differences in frequency of diagnosis of septate uterus using three different definitions and determine whether these differences are significant in clinical practice, and to examine the association between diagnosis of septate uterus, using each of the three definitions, and infertility and/or previous miscarriage as well as the cost of allocation to surgery. METHODS: This was a secondary analysis of data from a prospective study of 261 consecutive women of reproductive age attending a private clinic focused on the diagnosis and treatment of congenital uterine malformations. Reanalysis of the datasets was performed according to three different means of defining septate uterus: following the recommendations of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), a 2016 update of those of the American Fertility Society from 1988 (ASRM-2016: internal fundal indentation depth ≥ 1.5 cm, angle of internal indentation < 90° and external indentation depth < 1 cm); following the recommendations of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology/European Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy (ESHRE/ESGE), published in 2013 and reaffirmed in 2016 (ESHRE/ESGE-2016: internal fundal/uterine indentation depth > 50% of uterine-wall thickness and external indentation depth < 50% of uterine-wall thickness, with uterine-wall thickness measured above interostial/intercornual line); and using a definition published last year which was based on the decision made most often by a group of experts (Congenital Uterine Malformation by Experts; CUME) (CUME-2018: internal fundal indentation depth ≥ 1 cm and external fundal indentation depth < 1 cm). We compared the rate of diagnosis of septate uterus using each of these three definitions and, for each, we estimated the association between the diagnosis and infertility and/or previous miscarriage, and anticipated the costs associated with their implementation using a guesstimation method. RESULTS: Although 32.6% (85/261) of the subjects met the criteria for one of the three definitions of septate uterus, only 2.7% (7/261) of them were defined as having septate uterus according to all three definitions. We diagnosed significantly more cases of septate uterus using ESHRE/ESGE-2016 than using ASRM-2016 (31% vs 5%, relative risk (RR) = 6.7, P < 0.0001) or CUME-2018 (31% vs 12%, RR = 2.6, P < 0.0001) criteria. We also observed frequent cases that could not be classified definitively by ASRM-2016 (gray zone: neither normal/arcuate nor septate; 6.5%). There were no significant differences (P > 0.05) in the prevalence of septate uterus in women with vs those without infertility according to ASRM-2016 (5% vs 4%), ESHRE/ESGE-2016 (35% vs 28%) or CUME-2018 (11% vs 12%). Septate uterus was diagnosed significantly more frequently in women with vs those without previous miscarriage according to ASRM-2016 (11% vs 3%; P = 0.04) and CUME-2018 (22 vs 10%; P = 0.04), but not according to ESHRE/ESGE-2016 (42% vs 28%; P = 0.8) criteria. Our calculations showed that global costs to the healthcare system would be highly dependent on the criteria used in the clinical setting to define septate uterus, with the costs associated with the ESHRE/ESGE-2016 definition potentially being an extra US$ 100-200 billion over 5 years in comparison to ASRM-2016 and CUME-2018 definitions. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of septate uterus according to ESHRE/ESGE-2016, ASRM-2016 and CUME-2018 definitions differs considerably. An important limitation of the ASRM classification, which needs to be addressed, is the high proportion of unclassifiable cases originally named, by us, the 'gray zone'. The high rate of overdiagnosis of septate uterus according to ESHRE/ESGE-2016 may lead to unnecessary surgery and therefore unnecessary risk in these women and may impose a considerable financial burden on healthcare systems. Efforts to define clinically meaningful and universally applicable criteria for the diagnosis of septate uterus should be encouraged. Copyright © 2019 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Útero septo según las definiciones de ESHRE/ESGE, ASRM y CUME: la relación con la infertilidad y el aborto espontáneo, el costo y advertencias para las mujeres y los sistemas de salud OBJETIVO: Evaluar el rendimiento de la velocidad sistólica máxima de la arteria cerebral media fetal (MCA-PSV, por sus siglas en inglés) ≥1,5 múltiplos de la mediana (MdM) para la predicción de la anemia moderada-severa en fetos sometidos a transfusión y no sometidos. MÉTODOS: Se realizó una búsqueda sistemática para identificar estudios observacionales relevantes reportados en el período 2008-2018 que evaluaron el rendimiento de la MCA-PSV, utilizando un umbral de 1,5MdM para la predicción de la anemia fetal. El diagnóstico de la anemia fetal mediante la toma de muestras de sangre fue el estándar de referencia. Se utilizaron modelos de efectos aleatorios para la elaboración de una curva jerárquica resumen de las características operativas del receptor (hSROC, por sus siglas en inglés). Se realizaron análisis de subgrupos y metarregresión, según el número de transfusiones intrauterinas previas. RESULTADOS: En el metaanálisis se incluyeron doce estudios y 696 fetos. El área bajo la curva (ABC) hSROC para la anemia moderada-severa fue del 83%. La sensibilidad y especificidad agrupadas (IC 95%) fueron del 79% (70-86%) y 73% (62-82%), respectivamente, y los cocientes de verosimilitud positivos y negativos fueron 2,94 (IC 95%: 2,13-4,00) y 0,272 (IC 95%: 0,188-0,371). Cuando solo se consideraron los fetos no sometidos a transfusión, la predicción mejoró, pues se logró un ABC del 87%, una sensibilidad del 86% (IC 95%: 75-93%) y una especificidad del 71% (IC 95%: 49-87%). Se observó una disminución en la sensibilidad de la predicción de la anemia moderada-severa mediante la MCA-PSV ≥1.5MdM (estimación, -5,5% (IC 95%: -10,7 a -0,3%), P=0,039) en función del aumento del número de transfusiones previas. CONCLUSIONES: El uso de la MCA-PSV ≥1.5MdM para la predicción de la anemia moderada-severa en fetos no sometidos a transfusión muestra una precisión moderada (86% de sensibilidad y 71% de especificidad), que disminuye con el aumento del número de transfusiones intrauterinas.

Congenital Uterine Malformation by Experts (CUME): better criteria for distinguishing between normal/arcuate and septate uterus?

OBJECTIVES: To assess the level of agreement between experts in distinguishing between septate and normal/arcuate uterus using their subjective judgment when reviewing the coronal view of the uterus from three-dimensional ultrasound. Another aim was to determine the interobserver reliability and diagnostic test accuracy of three measurements suggested by recent guidelines, using as reference standard the decision made most often by experts (Congenital Uterine Malformation by Experts (CUME)). METHODS: Images of the coronal plane of the uterus from 100 women with suspected fundal internal indentation were anonymized and provided to 15 experts (five clinicians, five surgeons and five sonologists). They were instructed to indicate whether they believed the uterus to be normal/arcuate (defined as normal uterine morphology or not clinically relevant degree of distortion caused by internal indentation) or septate (clinically relevant degree of distortion caused by internal indentation). Two other observers independently measured indentation depth, indentation angle and indentation-to-wall-thickness (I:WT) ratio. The agreement between experts was assessed using kappa, the interobserver reliability was assessed using the concordance correlation coefficient (CCC), the diagnostic test accuracy was assessed using the area under the receiver-operating characteristics curve (AUC) and the best cut-off value was assessed using Youden's index, considering as the reference standard the choice made most often by the experts (CUME). RESULTS: There was good agreement between all experts (kappa, 0.62). There were 18 septate and 82 normal/arcuate uteri according to CUME; European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE)-European Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy (ESGE) criteria (I:WT ratio > 50%) defined 80 septate and 20 normal/arcuate uteri, while American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) criteria defined five septate (depth > 15 mm and angle < 90°), 82 normal/arcuate (depth < 10 mm and angle > 90°) and 13 uteri that could not be classified (referred to as the gray-zone). The agreement between ESHRE-ESGE and CUME was 38% (kappa, 0.1); the agreement between ASRM criteria and CUME for septate was 87% (kappa, 0.39), and considering both septate and gray-zone as septate, the agreement was 98% (kappa, 0.93). Among the three measurements, the interobserver reproducibility of indentation depth (CCC, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.98-0.99) was better than both indentation angle (CCC, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.94-0.97) and I:WT ratio (CCC, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.90-0.94). The diagnostic test accuracy of these three measurements using CUME as reference standard was very good, with AUC between 0.96 and 1.00. The best cut-off values for these measurements to define septate uterus were: indentation depth ≥ 10 mm, indentation angle < 140° and I:WT ratio > 110% . CONCLUSIONS: The suggested ESHRE-ESGE cut-off value overestimates the prevalence of septate uterus while that of ASRM underestimates this prevalence, leaving in the gray-zone most of the uteri that experts considered as septate. We recommend considering indentation depth ≥ 10 mm as septate, since the measurement is simple and reliable and this criterion is in agreement with expert opinion. Copyright © 2017 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Accuracy of hysterosalpingo-foam sonography in comparison to hysterosalpingo-contrast sonography with air/saline and to laparoscopy with dye.

Study question: What is the diagnostic accuracy of 2D/3D hysterosalpingo-foam sonography (HyFoSy) and 2D/3D-high-definition flow Doppler (HDF)-HyFoSy in comparison to laparoscopy with dye chromotubation (as the reference method) and 2D air/saline-enhanced hysterosalpingo-contrast sonography (HyCoSy) (as the initial index test)? Summary answer: 2D/3D-HDF-HyFoSy had the best diagnostic accuracy and was the only method that did not significantly differ from the reference method, while both 2D/3D-HyFoSy and 2D/3D-HDF-HyFoSy had significantly higher accuracy than 2D-air/saline-HyCoSy. What is known already: Previous studies on X-ray hysterosalpingography and laparoscopy and dye as the reference standard have undermined the impact of older commercial contrast agents on the accuracy of ultrasound tubal patency tests. Recently, HyFoSy was reported to have very high accuracy in a small pilot study in comparison to laparoscopy and dye, and had a very high positive predictive value (PPV) for medical tubal occlusion. A new Doppler sonographic technique, known as HDF imaging with better axial resolution, fewer blooming artifacts and higher sensitivity than color and power Doppler imaging, has been introduced. Study design, size, duration: A prospective observational study was performed on 132 women (259 Fallopian tubes) consecutively enrolled between 2013 and 2015. Participants/materials, setting, methods: This study included infertile women of reproductive age who previously had not been examined for tubal patency and who presented for the evaluation to the university hospital, private hospital and clinic at which this study was conducted. 2D-Air/saline-HyCoSy, 2D/3D-HyFoSy and 2D/3D-HDF-HyFoSy and laparoscopy were performed independently by experienced readers. During HyFoSy, the 3D mode was used for standardization of pelvic scanning and observations of contrast flow without diagnosis after volume acquisition. Sensitivity, specificity, negative and positive predictive value (NPV and PPV), negative and positive-likelihood ratio (LR- and LR+) and 95% CI were calculated. McNemar's test and relative predictive values (a comparison of NPV and PPV) were used to compare all the index tests. Main results and the role of chance: 2D-Air/saline-HyCoSy, 2D/3D-HyFoSy and 2D/3D-HDF-HyFoSy indicated that 46 (17.8%), 27 (10.4%) and 24 (9.2%) of the 259 tubes were occluded, respectively; additionally, inconclusive results were obtained for 8 (3%), 5 (1.9%) and 3 (1.2%) tubes, respectively. The reference method revealed 18 (6.9%) occluded Fallopian tubes. 2D-Air/saline-HyCoSy had a high NPV (99.5%) that was similar to that of 2D/3D-HyFoSy (99%) and 2D/3D-HDF-HyFoSy (99.6%) (P > 0.05), but had a very low PPV (30.4%). The use of 2D/3D-HyFoSy, especially 2D/3D-HDF-HyFoSy, which had a significantly higher PPV (48% and 71%, P < 0.05 and P < 0.01; respectively), resulted in fewer false positive and inconclusive findings than the use of 2D-air/saline-HyCoSy. The LR- and LR+ was 0.14 and 14.8, respectively, for 2D/3D-HyFoSy, 0.06 and 32.1, respectively, for 2D/3D-HDF-HyFoSy, and 0.08 and 6.9, respectively, for 2D-air/saline-HyCoSy. The number of inconclusive or positive results per patient was significantly fewer with 2D/3D-HyFoSy (odds ratio, OR = 0.5, CI = 0.3-0.95, P < 0.05) and 2D/3D-HDF-HyFoSy (OR = 0.4, 95% CI = 0.2-0.8, P < 0.01) than with 2D-air/saline-HyCoSy. Limitations, reasons for caution: An unselected infertile population with a low prevalence of tubal occlusion is suitable for estimating the diagnostic accuracy of imaging tests only as a screening tool. Wider implications of the findings: These findings can be used to establish a diagnostic strategy with high accuracy but minimum invasiveness and limited use of contrast agents and sophisticated technology. 2D-Air/saline-HyCoSy, which has a high NPV, is suitable as an initial test and basic screening method, but 2D/3D-HDF-HyFoSy, which has a significantly higher PPV, can be used as a standard to verify any questionable or positive results obtained with 2D HyCoSy. This strategy may signficantly reduce the need for laparoscopy as a reference standard. Study funding/competing interest(s): There was no external funding for this study, and the authors have no conflicts of interest to declare. Trial registration number: N/A.

Robert's uterus: modern imaging techniques and ultrasound-guided hysteroscopic treatment without laparoscopy or laparotomy.

Robert's uterus is a unique malformation, described as a septate uterus with a non-communicating hemicavity, consisting of a blind uterine horn usually with unilateral hematometra, a contralateral unicornuate uterine cavity and a normally shaped external uterine fundus. The main symptom in affected young women is pelvic pain that becomes intensified near menses. We describe the case of a 22-year-old woman who was referred for diagnostic assessment and treatment of a congenital uterine anomaly. We used three-dimensional sonohysterography with volume-contrast imaging, HDLive rendering mode and automatic volume calculation (SonoHysteroAVC) for the diagnosis, surgical planning and postoperative evaluation. These imaging techniques provided a complete understanding of the internal and external uterine structures, enabling us to perform a minimally invasive hysteroscopic metroplasty, guided by transrectal ultrasound, and therefore avoiding the need for laparotomy/laparoscopy. The outcome of treatment was considered satisfactory; menstruation ceased to be painful and, after two hysteroscopic procedures, the communicating 0.3-cm3 hemicavity was visualized as a 3.6-cm3 normalized uterine cavity using the same imaging techniques. The findings of this case report raise questions about the embryological origin of Robert's uterus, the suitability of current classification systems, and the role of more invasive approaches (laparoscopy/laparotomy) and surgical procedures (horn resection/endometrectomy) that do not aim to improve uterine cavity shape and volume in women with this condition. Copyright © 2016 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Comparison of the ESHRE-ESGE and ASRM classifications of Müllerian duct anomalies in everyday practice.

STUDY QUESTION: Does the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology-European Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy (ESHRE-ESGE) classification of female genital tract malformations significantly increase the frequency of septate uterus diagnosis relative to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) classification? SUMMARY ANSWER: Use of the ESHRE-ESGE classification, compared with the ASRM classification, significantly increased the frequency of septate uterus recognition. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: The ESHRE-ESGE criteria were supposed to eliminate the subjective diagnoses of septate uterus by the ASRM criteria and replace the complementary absolute morphometric criteria. However, the clinical value of the ESHRE-ESGE classification in daily practice is difficult to appreciate. The application of the ESHRE-ESGE criteria has resulted in a significantly increased recognition of residual septum after hysteroscopic metroplasty, with a possible risk of overdiagnosis of septate uterus and problems for its management. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, AND DURATION: A prospective observational study was performed with 261 women consecutively enrolled between June and September 2013. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, AND METHODS: Non-pregnant women of reproductive age presented for evaluation to a private medical center. A gynecological examination and 3D ultrasonography were performed to assess the anatomy of the uterus, cervix and vagina. Congenital anomalies were diagnosed using the ASRM classification with additional morphometric criteria as well as with the ESHRE-ESGE classification. We compared the frequency and concordance of diagnoses of septate uterus and all congenital malformations of the uterus according to both classifications. The morphological characteristics of septate uterus recognized by both criteria were compared. MAIN RESULTS AND ROLE OF CHANCE: Of the 261 patients enrolled in this study, septate uterus was diagnosed in 44 (16.9%) and 16 (6.1%) patients using the ESGE-ESHRE and ASRM criteria, respectively [relative risk (RR)ESHRE-ESGE:ASRM 2.74; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.6-4.72; P < 0.01]. At least one congenital anomaly were diagnosed in 58 (22.2%) and 43 (16.5%) patients using the ESHRE-ESGE and ASRM classifications (RRESHRE-ESGE:ASRM, 1.35; 95% CI, 0.95-1.92, P = 0.1), respectively. The two criteria had moderate strength of agreement in the diagnosis of septate uterus (κ = 0.45, P < 0.01). There was good agreement in differentiation between anomaly and norm between the two assessment criteria (κ = 0.79, P < 0.01). The percentages of all congenital malformations and results of the differentiation between the anomaly and norm were obtained after excluding the confounding original ESHRE-ESGE criterion of dysmorphic uterus (internal indentation <50% uterine wall thickness). The morphology of septa identified by the ESHRE-ESGE [length of internal fundal indentation (mm): median 10.7; lower-upper quartile, 8.1-20] significantly differed (P < 0.01) from that identified by the ASRM criteria [length of internal fundal indentation (mm): median, 21.1; lower-upper quartile, 18.8-33.1]. Internal fundal indentation in 16 out of 44 (36.4%) cases was <1 cm in the septate uterus by ESHRE-ESGE and met the criteria for normal uterus by ASRM. LIMITATIONS AND REASONS FOR CAUTION: The study participants were women who visited a diagnostic and treatment center specialized in uterine congenital malformations for a medical assessment, not from the general public. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: Septate uterus diagnosis by ESHRE-ESGE was quantitatively dominated by morphological states corresponding to arcuate uterus or cases that were not diagnosed as congenital malformations by ASRM. Relative overdiagnosis of septate uterus by ESHRE-ESGE in these cases may lead to unnecessary overtreatment without the expected benefits. The ESHRE-ESGE classification criteria should be redefined due to confusions in the methodology. Until the criteria are revised, septate uterus should not be diagnosed using this classification system and it should not be used as an eligibility criterion for hysteroscopic metroplasty. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTERESTS: This work was supported by Jagiellonian University (grant no. K/ZDS/003821). The authors have no competing interests to declare.

Role of morphologic characteristics of the uterine septum in the prediction and prevention of abnormal healing outcomes after hysteroscopic metroplasty.

STUDY QUESTION: Can morphologic measurements (width, length and surface area) of the uterine septum predict healing-dependent abnormal anatomic results [ARs; residual septum (RS) and intrauterine adhesions in other locations (IUA-OLs)] after complete hysteroscopic metroplasty (HM)? SUMMARY ANSWER: Significant predictors of ARs are the septal width and, to a lesser extent, septal surface area. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: Anatomic results after hysteroscopic metroplasty have very large variation. A RS >1 cm and IUA-OLs can aggravate reproductive outcomes, resulting in the need for reoperation. New criteria for diagnosing a uterine septum according to the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) and European Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy (ESGE) have been suggested (ESHRE-ESGE criteria). Autocross-linked hyaluronic acid gel (autocross-linked polysaccharide) has an antiadhesive effect. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: A prospective, observational cohort study was performed with 96 women consecutively enrolled between 2007 and 2012. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: Women who had uterine septum and previous miscarriage or infertility presented for evaluation at a university hospital, private hospital or private medical center were included. Preoperative septal width, length and surface area were determined with three-dimensional sonohysterography. Women were treated by hysteroscopy in a standardized manner with three- or four-dimensional transrectal ultrasound guidance (complete resection). Patients received either no adhesion barrier (49 patients) or adhesion barrier with autocross-linked polysaccharide (47 patients). Anatomic results were assessed with three-dimensional sonohysterography and second-look hysteroscopy. Healing-dependent ARs were reported using both American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) criterion of RS length >1 cm (ASRM>1 cm criterion) and ESHRE-ESGE criteria. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to identify predictors of RS, IUA-OLs and ARs. MAIN RESULTS AND ROLE OF CHANCE: In patients who had no adhesion barrier, ARs were diagnosed in 11 of 49 patients (23%) using the ASRM > 1 cm criterion and in 20 of 49 patients (41%) using the ESHRE-ESGE criteria for RS [odds ratio (OR)ESHRE-ESGE:ASRM, 2.4, P = 0.05]. In the patients who had autocross-linked polysaccharide, ARsASRM > 1 cm were diagnosed in 2 of 47 patients (4%) and ARsESHRE-ESGE in 4 of 47 patients (9%). RSESHRE-ESGE was diagnosed significantly more often than RSASRM > 1 cm 19 of 96 (20%) versus 5 of 96 (5%) in all patients (ORESHRE-ESGE:ASRM > 1 cm = 4.5, P < 0.01). In patients who had no adhesion barrier, logistic regression with ASRM > 1 cm and ESHRE-ESGE criteria showed that the width and surface area were predictors of ARs. Models adjusted by patient group confirmed the significance of width as a predictor of ARsASRM > 1 cm [OR for width, 3.5 (P < 0.01); OR for group, 0.22 (P < 0.01)], width as a predictor of ARsESHRE-ESGE [OR for width, 2.2 (P < 0.01); OR for group, 0.26 (P < 0.01)] and surface area as a predictor of ARsASRM > 1 cm [OR for surface area, 1.5 (P < 0.01)]; OR for group, 0.32 (P < 0.01). In patients who had autocross-linked polysaccharide, these predictors were not significant. Receiver-operating characteristic curves showed cutoff values for ARsASRM > 1 cm (septal width, 3.42 cm; septal surface area, 4.68cm²) and ARsESHRE-ESGE (septal width, 3.42 cm; septal surface area, 3.51cm²). LIMITATIONS AND REASONS FOR CAUTION: Patients were enrolled in the adhesion barrier group in a time-dependent, consecutive and non-randomized manner. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: A wide septum and large surface area may be indications for adhesion barrier. The use of autocross-linked polysaccharide reduces the risk of ARs. The ESHRE-ESGE criteria may cause greater frequency of recognition of RS than the ASRM > 1 cm criterion, which could result in more frequent reoperations with use of the ESHRE-ESGE criteria, possibly without any significant effect on reproductive performance. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S): This work was supported by Jagiellonian University (grant no. K/ZDS/003821). The authors have no competing interest to declare.