Abstract:

 Objective · To evaluate the clinical characteristics of endometrial pathology in postmenopausal women with asymptomatic thickened endometrium. Methods · A retrospective review was conducted of the patients between October 2013 and October 2015 in the International Peace Maternity & Child Health Hospital. The postmenopausal women with asymptomatic thickened endometrium of 5 mm or more found by transvaginal ultrasonography were recruited. They underwent hysteroscopy and endometrial sampling to analyze the relationship between endometrial pathology and endometrial thickness. Results · A total of 257 patients were recruited. The average age was 61.3 years old, the average menopause period was 122 months, and the average endometrium thickness was 8.6 mm. The endometrial pathology included normal atrophic endometrium, endometrial polyp, submucous myoma, intrauterine adhesion, uterine septum, endometrial hyperplasia and endometrial cancer. The most common pathological type was endometrial polyp, accounting for 66.9% of the all patients and 83.9% (172/205) of all pathological types. Three cases of adenocarcinoma (1.2%) were diagnosed. There was significant difference in endometrial thickness among normal endometrium, endometrial polyp and endometrial cancer (P<0.05). The endometrium in endometrial cancer was the thickest, which was (13.20±5.38) mm averagely. There was significant difference in ages among the pathological types (P=0.004). Conclusion · There are few patients of malignancy among asymptomatic postmenopausal women with thickened endometrium. Follow-up visits were recommended to these women.

Key words: postmenopause, asymptomatic, endometrial thickening, endometrial cancer