Diagnostic yield and therapeutic outcome of hysteroscopy in women with infertility in a referral clinical setting: a Port Harcourt, Nigeria experience

INTRODUCTION: intrauterine pathologies were traditionally evaluated by blind dilatation and curettage along with hysterosalpingography. Hysteroscopy is a veritable tool for evaluation of uterine cavity pathologies with an increasing availability in Nigeria. The study aims to report the diagnostic yield and therapeutic outcome of hysteroscopy in women with infertility from a Nigerian metropolis. METHODS: a retrospective cross-sectional study of consecutive cases of infertile women referred for hysteroscopy to an ambulatory care endoscopy facility in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. The variables collated included age, parity, past gynaecological history, indication, hysteroscopy findings and interventions. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 25. RESULTS: included in study were 75 patients undergoing a total of 124 hysteroscopic procedures. The age range of patients was 25 to 56 years (mean 40.7 ± 5.9 years). A positive diagnostic yield of 93.3% with non-visualization of intracavitary uterine pathology in 5 patients was recorded. The most common pathologies were submucous myoma-25(31.3%), endometrial polyps- 18(22.5%) and intrauterine adhesions-18(22.5%). There was no statistical difference between the mean age of patients with or without polyp, myoma and intrauterine adhesions (P = 0.185, P = 0.510 and P = 0.619 respectively) but a non-linear relationship between age and polyp detection (Eta2 = 0.024). Operative hysteroscopies were all performed on out- patient basis but staged in 30(40.0%) patients. CONCLUSION: benign uterine growths and intrauterine adhesions are frequent causes of uterine factor infertility. A high successful completion rate of hysteroscopic interventions was achieved.