[Suitability of metric structural criteria in vaginal ultrasound assessment of the postmenopausal endometrium].

In 135 postmenopausal women ultrasonic findings of the endometrium were compared with the final histopathology. Object of this study was to evaluate the ability of metric structural criterions for a vaginosonographic screening of benign and malignant endometrial neoplasms. A sonographic assessment of the endometrium was possible in 97.8% of the patients; anatomic peculiarities such as calcified fibromyomata proved to be the main-impediments. By means of the criterions examined the sensitivity for the differentiation of inconspicuous and pathological findings was 100% with a 98.2% specificity; the rate of wrong-positive results was 1.6%. In 9.2% ultrasound was classified as conspicuous requiring further controls. According to these results the vaginosonographic assessment of the endometrium regarding its thickness and structure (homogeneity, echogeneity, median echo) can be recommended for a non-invasive screening for endometrial neoplasms.