Individual research recommendation details

Recommendation ID

NG88/1

Question

Hysteroscopy compared with ultrasound or empiric pharmacological treatment in the diagnosis and management of heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB): -Is initial testing using hysteroscopy more effective than testing with pelvic ultrasound or empiric pharmacological treatment in the diagnosis and management of HMB?

Any explanatory notes
(if applicable)

Why this is important:- There is no consensus about the best test-and-treat strategy for women with HMB, and empiric pharmacological treatment is often initiated as a first treatment without investigation. Parameters of diagnostic accuracy give useful information about a test's ability to detect a condition (or the absence of a condition). But accurate diagnosis does not automatically result in a better overall outcome for the woman, because this also depends on treatment decisions after the diagnosis is
made. However, it is thought that optimal treatment depends on accurate diagnosis of the underlying pathology causing HMB.
In the absence of clinical trials, decision analytical economic models evaluating all possible outpatient testing algorithms have indicated that using ultrasound or hysteroscopy for initial diagnostic testing for women with HMB are the most effective diagnostic strategies. Pelvic ultrasound has been most commonly used because it has been more widely available and is considered less intrusive than hysteroscopy. However, advances in technology mean that the hysteroscopy is well tolerated in the outpatient setting, and it can potentially be performed outside the traditional hospital environment in a community setting. Moreover, in contrast with ultrasound,
hysteroscopy allows concomitant treatment of intrauterine pathologies such as submucosal fibroids and endometrial polyps. It also facilitates the fitting of levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine systems (LNG-IUS).
A test-and-treat randomised controlled trial with cost-effectiveness analysis could help to answer the crucial question of whether hysteroscopy improves outcomes for women and results in more effective use of NHS resources.

Source guidance details

Comes from guidance

Heavy menstrual bleeding: assessment and management

Number

NG88

Date issued

March 2018

Other details