[Differential diagnosis of endometrial abnormality by transvaginal sonography]

Transvaginal sonography examination was performed 450 times in 281 women to diagnose the endometrial abnormality by measuring the thickness of endometrium. There were 37 women with normal ovulatory cycles, 200 postmenopausal women with no vaginal bleeding, and 44 women with irregular vaginal bleeding. For ovulatory cycles, the mean of endometrial thickness was 7.8 +/- 2.1 mm (3-13 mm) in the follicular phase, 10.4 +/- 1.9 mm (8-13 mm) around ovulation and 10.4 +/- 2.3 mm (8-19 mm) in the luteal phase. The average thickness of endometrium for postmenopausal women without bleeding was 1.4 +/- 0.7 mm (1-5 mm). The measurement of the thickness of endometrium in women with irregular vaginal bleeding was also confirmed by histological analysis. Atrophy endometrium was diagnosed in 6 cases, the thickness of endometrium was 2.2 +/- 2.0 mm, hydrohystera was found in 8 women, thickness of endometrium was 14.5 +/- 6.1 mm, endometrial hyperplasia in 10 cases, thickness was 17.4 +/- 6.7 mm, endometrial polyps in 12 cases, thickness was 16.7 +/- 7.7 mm, and endometrial carcinoma in 8 cases, thickness was 24.4 +/- 11.9 mm. Generally, the normal thickness of endometrium for postmenopausal women should be less than 5.0 mm.