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Hysteroscopy, as the name suggests (hystero = uterus; scopy = to see), is a surgical procedure in which a telescope is inserted inside the uterus to examine the uterine lining. This procedure can assist in the diagnosis of various uterine conditions that can cause infertility, such as:
Before performing hysteroscopy, a hysterosalpingogram (an x-ray of the uterus and fallopian tubes) may be taken to provide additional information about the cavity that can be useful during surgery. Many doctors will also do a vaginal ultrasound as a diagnostic aid. Diagnostic hysteroscopy is usually conducted on a day-care basis with either general or local anesthesia and takes about thirty minutes to perform.
The first step of hysteroscopy involves cervical dilatation - stretching and opening the canal of the cervix with a series of dilators. Once the dilatation of the cervix is complete, the hysteroscope, a narrow lighted telescope, is passed through the cervix and into the lower end of the uterus. A clear solution (Hyskon or glycine) or carbon dioxide gas is then injected into the uterus through the instrument. This solution or gas expands the uterine cavity, clears blood and mucus away, and enables the surgeon to directly view the internal structure of the uterus.
The doctor systematically examines the lining of the cervical canal, the lining of the uterine cavity, and looks for the internal openings of the fallopian tubes where they enter the uterine cavity - the tubal ostia.
Some doctors may do a curettage (a scraping of the inside of the uterine cavity) after the hysteroscopy and send the endometrial tissue for pathologic examination.
© Dr. Aniruddha Malpani and Dr. Anjali Malpani www.drmalpani.com
Credits: How to Have a Baby: Overcoming Infertility
