Diagnostic reliability of Mi-Mark helix technique in endometrial neoplasia

Abstract

To evaluate the diagnostic reliability of the Mi-Mark helix technique in endometrial neoplasia, 138 women with abnormal uterine bleeding underwent a prospective study of Mi-Mark sampling of the uterine cavity before dilatation and curettage. Of one hundred thirty-eight patients, 42% had postmenopausal bleeding and 18% had perimenopausal bleeding. The acceptability of this procedure by patients and physicians was remarkable. All invasive endometrial carcinomas were detected by Mi-Mark cytology. The most serious limitation of this technique was its failure to detect a large number of hyperplasias without atypia. Examination of a cell block along with cytology would facilitate the histopathologic diagnosis, especially of hyperplasia. The results of this study appear to justify the use of this procedure in high-risk patients.