A comparative study between panoramic hysteroscopy with directed biopsies and dilatation and curettage. A review of 276 cases.

A total of 276 women underwent both panoramic hysteroscopy and dilatation and curettage. All of these patients underwent directed endometrial biopsies through the hysteroscope. Indications for operation included abnormal bleeding, postmenopausal bleeding, suspected leiomyoma with bleeding, follow-up for adenomatous hyperplasia, intrauterine contraceptive device with bleeding, retained products of conception, infertility with bleeding, abnormal hysterosalpingogram with bleeding, and abnormal endometrial cells on Papanicolaou smear. In 223 cases the results of hysteroscopy and curettage were in agreement. Hysteroscopy revealed more information than curettage in 44 patients, whereas curettage revealed more information than hysteroscopy in only nine patients. When the results of this study are combined with those of previous studies, there is little doubt that panoramic hysteroscopy is superior to curettage in making an accurate diagnosis of pathologic conditions in the uterine cavity.