Vaginoscopic approach to outpatient hysteroscopy: a systematic review of the effect on pain

Management of anxiety and pain perception in women undergoing office hysteroscopy: a systematic review

PURPOSE

The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the literature about the perception and management of anxiety and pain in women undergoing an office hysteroscopic procedure.

METHODS

We performed a systematic literature search in Embase, PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane Library and Web of Science for original studies written in English (registered in PROSPERO 2019-CRD42019132341), using the terms 'hysteroscopy' AND 'pain' AND 'anxiety' published up to January 2019. Only original articles (randomized, observational and retrospective studies) about management of anxiety and pain related to the hysteroscopic procedure were considered eligible.

RESULTS

Our literature search produced 84 records. After exclusions, 11 studies including 2222 patients showed the following results: (a) pain experienced during hysteroscopy is negatively affected by preprocedural anxiety; (b) pharmacological interventions seem to be help in reducing pain during hysteroscopy; (c) waiting time before the procedure is a significant factor affecting patients' anxiety; (d) music during the procedure may be helpful in reducing anxiety.

CONCLUSIONS

The utilization of office hysteroscopy is hampered by varying levels of anxiety and pain perceived by women who are candidates for the procedure. For these reasons, it is essential to identify effective pharmacological and non-pharmacological strategies to alleviate these factors. We recommend further studies especially focusing on non-pharmacological interventions to facilitate the dissemination of good clinical practices among hysteroscopists.

Application of 'no-touch' hysteroscopy (vaginoscopy) for the treatment of abnormal uterine bleeding in adolescence

AIM

This article retrospectively analyzed the efficacy and safety of vaginoscopy in the treatment of adolescent abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) in 204 cases of AUB.

METHOD

From January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2017, 204 patients with intact hymen who were admitted to our hospital due to AUB received vaginoscopy, and vaginoscopy did not damage the hymen. In this study, 4.5 mm and 6.5 mm hysteroscopy were used with a pumping fluid pressure of 100-120 mm Hg and a flow rate of 400 mL/min. All 204 vaginoscopy was successfully completed in intravenous anesthesia.

RESULTS

Postoperative pathological examination confirmed that of the 204 patients, 53 patients had simple hyperplasia. There were 53 cases of polyps, 50 cases of endometrial gland hyperplasia and disordered arrangement, 35 cases of proliferative phase endometrium, five cases of bleeding phase endometrium, partial glandular secretion, three cases of complex hyperplasia and one case of decidua like change. Follow-up data from 64 patients showed that 34 patients were effective after treatment. Stepwise logistic regression analysis suggested that endometrial thickness was associated with treatment outcome (HR, 0.875, 95% CI, 0.786-0.974, P = 0.014). There was no significant difference in drug use between patients with effective and ineffective treatment.

CONCLUSION

'No-touch' vaginoscopy is feasible for the diagnosis and treatment of adolescent AUB without destroying the intact hymen.