Assessment of Endometrial Thickness in Postmenopausal Women Using Ultrasonography

Abstract

Background: Endometrial abnormalities pose diagnostic challenges for radiologists and gynecologists. The endometrial appearance is influenced by several factors, such as age, menstrual status, pregnancy and hormonal therapy. Amongst these, menstrual status is potentially the most influential factor affecting endometrial thickness. Methodology: This is a prospective, descriptive case study, conducted to assess the endometrium thickness in postmenopausal Sudanese women. The study was carried out in the period from October 2016 to April 2017 in different hospitals and clinics in Khartoum State. The study was conducted on (50) postmenopausal Sudanese women, their age 45 years and above, and they had amenorrhea for 6 month. The study subjects were scanned twice in international scanning guideline protocols by transvaginal scan, endometrial thickness was measured at the thickest part of the endometrium in the longitudinal plane. Results: The mean of endometrium thickness was 7.57  3.480 mm in age group (45-50) years, the mean of endometrium thickness was 4.60  2.927 mm in age group (51-60) years, while the mean of endometrium thickness was 1.88  0.619 mm in age group > 60 years. The endometrial thickness of more than 5mm was observed in age group (45-50) and starts to decrease with increasing age. Conclusion : Transvaginal ultrasonography is of great value as a screening test for abnormal endometrium in patients with postmenopausal bleeding, endometrial thickness of 5 mm or more should be considered for further investigation.