Profile of outpatient hysteroscopy in the United States from 1994 to 1996.

OBJECTIVE

To estimate use of hysteroscopic surgery for evaluating genital tract bleeding and related disorders.

METHODS

Using the U.S. National Survey of Ambulatory Surgery, we performed a retrospective, cross-sectional study of women undergoing outpatient hysteroscopy. Rates of procedures were tabulated for all years available (1994-1996). Comparison was made across age, ethnicity, and geographic distribution. Complication rates for operative injury and pulmonary edema were estimated from corresponding diagnosis codes.

RESULTS

The estimated number of women undergoing outpatient hysteroscopy was 197,800, 225,900 and 232,000 for the years 1994-1996, respectively. Twenty percent of cases included operative hysteroscopy. Commonly associated diagnoses included menorrhagia, postmenopausal bleeding, uterine polyps and leiomyoma. The most common concomitant procedures performed included dilation and curettage, laparoscopy and uterine lesion destruction, not elsewhere classified. Complication rates were 2.3 per 1,000 hysteroscopies, but 3 times higher for operative hysteroscopy.

CONCLUSIONS

Hysteroscopy is a commonly performed procedure in the United States, largely in association with uterine bleeding disorders.