SONOGRAPHIC ASSESSMENT OF ENDOMETRIUM IN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN - MEASURING THE THICKNESS - WILL THAT BE ALL WE NEED

Sonographic assessment of the endometrium in postmenopausal women is g enerally based on total thickness as only criterion. The cut-off value s recommended in literature, however, vary considerably The purpose of this study was to examine the significance of sono-morphology besides biometry of the endometrium. If vaginosonography showed an endometria l thickness of 3 mm or less, all histological findings were inconspicu ous; beginning at a thickness of 10 mm only hyperplasias, polyps and c arcinomas were found. In the range between, including more than one-th ird of our patients, the structure can point out the type of histology : Homogeneity, low echogeneity and a median echo are not important fin digs, but inhomogeneity and high echogeneity point to pathological cha nges of the endometrium. Using combined, metric-structural criteria in vaginosonography of the endometrium, not only the predictivity, but a bove all the selectivity is improved.