Clinicopathological correlation of endometrial aspiration cytology in women with infertility

Abstract

Background: Infertility is a common problem for which the couple seeks gynecological consultation. Endometrial aspiration cytology (EAC) has emerged as a minimally invasive and cost-effective diagnostic procedure for assessing the endometrial status of these patients that can aid in the high-burden and resource-limited settings.
Aims: The study was conducted to evaluate the utility of EAC in women with infertility, and the cytological diagnosis was correlated with the histopathology.
Materials and Methods: A total of 50 patients presenting with infertility were subjected to EAC using a 5F infant feeding tube attached to 20 cc disposable syringe; later, they also underwent endometrial dilation and curettage. The cytology smears were evaluated for architectural and cytomorphological features. The cytological diagnoses henceforth made were compared with the histopathological diagnosis to calculate sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy of EAC.
Results: EAC showed a sample adequacy of 80% viz a viz 90% for histopathology. EAC showed a specificity and sensitivity of 97.3% and 100% for assessing the endometrial status in infertility. There was a good overall agreement between cytological and histopathological diagnosis (P value-0.60).
Conclusions: EAC is an effective and minimally invasive procedure for the primary investigation of women with infertility.