OBJECTIVE: To compare outpatient endometrial sampling cytology with conventional biopsy in postmenopausal women with abnormal uterine bleeding and/or abnormal endometrial thickness at ultrasound.

Endometrial cytologic sampling was performed using a brush device (EBC) while endometrial histological sampling was retrieved using a Novak curette.

RESULTS – Evidence in score pain differences between brush and curette endometrial samples were observed: 50% of patients undergoing brush cytology had lower pain scores whereas 60% of patients undergoing endometrial biopsy had higher pain scores. The failure rate in performing procedures was 8.0% vs 4.1%, and the results were statistically significant on the McNemar test, respectively p = .01 and p = .001.

A non-diagnostic specimen was obtained in 3.9% of cases by EBC, and 10.3% of cases by the Novak curette.

Cytological evaluation had a sensitivity of 100%, specificity of 99%, positive and negative predictive value of 97% and 100% for diagnosing malignant neoplasia. Cytology had high diagnostic accuracy for atypical hyperplasia: sensitivity 100%, specificity 99%, positive and negative predictive value 83% and 100%, respectively.

CONCLUSION-SEBC is a reliable, well tolerated outpatient diagnostic tool for endometrial sampling in detecting early-stage cancer in postmenopausal patients at high risk for endometrial cancer.

Ref: http://www.docguide.com/reliability-oupatient-endometrial-brush-cytology-vs-biopsy-postmenopausal-symptomatic-women?hash=80445d1a&eid=18446&alrhash=2efbb8-880279c42369cc2f8adcb48a6daaf3d2