Incidence of Intrauterine Adhesions After Hysteroscopic Myomectomy in Patients Seeking Fertility

To study the incidence of intrauterine adhesions (IUAs) after hysteroscopic myomectomy. Previous studies report a range of incidence for IUAs after hysteroscopic myomectomy.

A retrospective review study.

An academic community hospital in the Boston metropolitan area.

Patients undergoing hysteroscopic myomectomy at our institution from January 2019 to February 2022. Patients were excluded if they did not have plans for future fertility or had a new diagnosis of cancer.

All patients underwent hysteroscopic myomectomy using bipolar resectoscope without postoperative medical or barrier treatment. All procedures were performed by 1 of 4 fellowship-trained high-volume gynecologic surgeons with resident and fellow assistance. Incidence of postoperative IUAs was assessed and treated using second-look office hysteroscopy.

A total of 44 patients without preoperative IUAs underwent hysteroscopic myomectomy during our study period, and 4 patients (9.1%) developed new IUAs. Among 9 patients who were found to have preoperative IUAs and underwent concurrent hysteroscopic myomectomy and lysis of adhesions, we found a recurrence of IUAs in 5 patients (55.6%). We found the number, size, and deepest type of myoma removed were not correlated to an increased risk of new IUA formation. In addition, removing myomas on opposing walls during the same operation did not increase the incidence of new IUAs.

Formation of IUAs after hysteroscopic myomectomy is a well-documented consequence. Our reported incidence of 9.1% of new IUAs that are not affected by the number, size, deepest type of myoma resected, and resection of myomas on opposing uterine walls contributes to the current literature. In addition, our finding of 55.6% of recurrent IUAs in patients undergoing both hysteroscopic myomectomy and lysis of adhesions highlights a high-risk population requiring additional study.