Office Hysteroscopy

摘要

The concept of hysteroscopy was first introduced in the late 1860s and has since developed into one of the most common procedures used in diagnostic investigation and therapeutic intervention by practicing gynecologists. From the 1990s until the present, improvements in available equipment, including introduction of a flexible hys-teroscope and scopes with diameters of less than 5 mm, have made this procedure more feasible to perform in the office setting. Such developments have made it possible to include direct visualization of the uterine cavity in the diagnostic assessment of numerous gynecologic problems without associated risks and expense of a similar procedure performed with anesthesia in the hospital setting. The advent of an operative channel in such small scopes has also allowed targeted endometrial biopsy to be performed in the office, improving detection and diagnosis of focal lesions that reportedly are missed up to 30% of the time during dilation and curettage in the operating room.