Postmenopausal bleeding : clinicopathological study in babel province between the years 2000-2009

الملخص EN

Normal menstruation is defined as bleeding from secretory endometrium associated with an ovulatory cycle not exceeding a length of 5 days.

Any bleeding not fulfilling these criteria is referred to as an abnormal uterine bleeding.

Some of these are the result of an identifiable pathological lesion, such as endometriosis, submucous myoma, endometrial polyp, or cancer, particularly in the postmenopausal patient.

Postmenopausal bleeding is considered an important and alarming symptom both to the patient and to the gynecologist, and is requires as complete evaluation as possible in order to ensure the absence of malignancy and to identify and treat high risk patients such as those with endometerial hyperplasia.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the clinical significance and endometrial pathology in patients with postmenopausal bleeding (PMB) in terms of etiology, risks factors, incidence of malignancy, and histopathological evaluation.

304 cases of PMB admitted to Babylon Teaching Hospital for Gynaecology & Paediatrics from 2000-2009 underwent a detailed history, clinical examination, pelvic ultrasound, and examination under anesthesia (EUA) with dilatation and curettage and endometrial sampling for histopathological examination.

The age range of the patient was from (45 to 77years) with a mean of (49 years).

The Results showed that Benign pathology was found in (167 / 304) cases.

These included senile atrophic endometrium, endometrial hyperplasia, endometritis, endometrial polyps, cervicitis, and cervical polyps.

Malignant pathology was found in (27) cases including (12) cases of cancer of the cervix and (15) cases of adenocarcinoma of the endometrium.

It is concluded that postmenopausal bleeding is an important symptom and requires careful and prompt evaluation to eliminate the possibility of malignancy as quickly as possible