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ABSTRACT Objective: To evaluate the intensity of pain reported by patients undergoing outpatient diagnostic hysteroscopy. Methods: Exam performed with a 5-mm lens hysteroscope, vaginal speculum, tenaculum and uterine distention with carbon dioxide gas. Before and after the examination, patients were interviewed to define, in a verbal scale from 0 to 10, pain values that they expected to feel and that they experienced after the end, and also if they would repeat it if indicated. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences 15.0, statistic significance was defined as p < 0.05 with a study power of 95%. Results: Fifty-eight patients were included with mean age of 50.9 years, with 32.8% at postmenopause and 6.9% nulliparous. Among those with previous deliveries, mean parity was 2.21 and at least one vaginal delivery had occurred in 63.8%. Only 24.1% of patients knew how the exam would be done, 62.1% needed an endometrial sample and the result was considered satisfactory in 89.7%. The means of expected and experienced pain were similar (6.0 versus 6.1), and 91.4% of women would repeat the hysteroscopy if necessary. The only factor associated with less pain after the exam was previous vaginal delivery, with a decrease of pain score from 7.1 to 5.5 (p = 0.03). Mean pain was significantly lower in those who agreed to repeat the exam (5.8 versus 9.4; p = 0.003). Conclusions: Outpatient diagnostic hysteroscopy with gas can be associated with moderate but tolerable discomfort and satisfactory results.

Objective: To evaluate the intensity of pain reported by patients undergoing outpatient diagnostic hysteroscopy. Methods: Exam performed with a 5-mm lens hysteroscope, vaginal speculum, tenaculum and uterine distention with carbon dioxide gas. Before and after the examination, patients were interviewed to define, in a verbal scale from 0 to 10, pain values that they expected to feel and that they experienced after the end, and also if they would repeat it if indicated. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences 15.0, statistic significance was defined as p < 0.05 with a study power of 95%. Results: Fifty-eight patients were included with mean age of 50.9 years, with 32.8% at postmenopause and 6.9% nulliparous. Among those with previous deliveries, mean parity was 2.21 and at least one vaginal delivery had occurred in 63.8%. Only 24.1% of patients knew how the exam would be done, 62.1% needed an endometrial sample and the result was considered satisfactory in 89.7%. The means of expected and experienced pain were similar (6.0 versus 6.1), and 91.4% of women would repeat the hysteroscopy if necessary. The only factor associated with less pain after the exam was previous vaginal delivery, with a decrease of pain score from 7.1 to 5.5 (p = 0.03). Mean pain was significantly lower in those who agreed to repeat the exam (5.8 versus 9.4; p = 0.003). Conclusions: Outpatient diagnostic hysteroscopy with gas can be associated with moderate but tolerable discomfort and satisfactory results.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of hysteroscopic endometrial ablation in women with abnormal benign uterine bleeding resistant to clinical treatment, and to identify factors potentially related to its failure. Methods: Ninety patients with abnormal benign uterine bleeding were retrospectively evaluated. They were submitted to endometrial ablation between January 2000 and August 2003. Their mean age was 44.3 years and their average parity was 2.3 childbirths. All patients had been given gonadotrophin-releasing hormone analogues prior to surgery, to make the procedure easier. Rresults: After surgery, amenorrhea occurred in 20% of cases, hypomenorrhea in 30%, and eumenorrhea in 32.2%. In 17.8% of patients, the procedure failed. No intra or postoperative complications occurred. There was no statistically significant difference between the patients in which the ablation failed and those in which it was successful regarding mean age (p = 0.557), parity (p = 0.891), presence of intramural myoma (p= 0.29), submucosal myoma (p = 0.68) or endometrial polyps (p = 0.76). A significant difference between the two groups was observed with regard to the uterine size median (7 cm in the successful group and 9 cm in the failure group, p = 0.008). A statistically significant difference was also found in follow-up time: 13 months in the first group and nine months in the second group (p = 0.001). Cconclusions: Endometrial ablation is a good treatment method for abnormal uterine bleeding of benign etiology. Special attention must be paid to patients with increased uterine size, since failure is more frequent in these cases.