[Echographic monitoring of the endometrium with a transvaginal probe in the menopause. A clinical study of 185 women in the menopause].

The aim of our study was to verify the efficacy of transvaginal ultrasound scanning as an indicator of the endometrial status in healthy menopausal women. One hundred eighty five healthy women in natural menopause were examined by vaginal sonography; the endometrial patterns were analyzed and the influence on it of body weight, menopausal age, and hormonal therapy was considered. The presence of irregular and the endometrial histology were related to the ultrasound findings. 38% of the women assumed estrogen plus progestin replacement treatment since one-two years, for menopausal complaints. 17% of all patients reported irregular bleeding during the last month. The majority of women (90%), regardless of the hormone assumption, presented en endometrial thickness less than 10 mm. 10% of untreated and treated women had an endometrial thickness between 10 and 20 mm. Among the subjects with elevated menopausal age is more frequent the imaging of endometrial layer minor than 5 mm in comparison with women in early menopause. 4% of untreated and 10% of treated women without irregular bleeding had an endometrial thickness higher than 10 mm, while 67% of women with irregular bleeding presented an endometrial layer higher than 10 mm. In treated group all women with endometrial thickness greater than 10 mm had amenorrhoea. 86% of patients had endometrial atrophy detected by biopsy; hyperplastic endometrium or endometrial cancer was not demonstrated. In conclusion, vaginal sonography is a simple and reliable method in the study of the endometrial pattern in healthy menopausal women.