The mini-resectoscope: A new instrument for office hysteroscopic surgery

Background. Outpatient hysteroscopy has become well-established for the investigation abnormal uterine bleeding. Although “See and Treat” clinics have been widely introduced, the types of procedures offered are limited, and many patients with intrauterine pathology continue to be admitted as in-patients for hysteroscopic surgery. We wanted to investigate the feasibility and acceptability of surgery for small intrauterine lesions without the need for general anesthesia by using a miniature resectoscope. Methods. This was a prospective observational study on 30 women with abnormal uterine bleeding associated with endometrial polyps or small (<3 cm) type 0 or 1 submucous fibroids. Hysteroscopic polypectomy (n=26) or myomectomy (n=4) was carried out using a 16 Fr gauge mini-resectoscope. Results. Ten procedures were carried out in the outpatient clinic and 20 in the operating theatre. Sixteen procedures were done without any anaesthesia and 14 after intra-cervical local anesthetic injections. The polyps and f...