Background: Hysteroscopy currently represents the gold standard for the diagnosis and treatment of intrauterine pathologies. Recent technological progress has enabled the integration of diagnostic and operative time, leading to the \"see and treat\" approach. Diode laser technology is emerging as one of the most innovative and intriguing techniques in this context. Methods: A comprehensive search of the literature was carried out on the main databases. Only original studies reporting the treatment of intrauterine pathologies using diode laser were deemed eligible for inclusion in this systematic review (PROSPERO ID: CRD42023485452). Results: Eight studies were included in the qualitative analysis for a total of 474 patients undergoing laser hysteroscopic surgery. Eighty-three patients had female genital tract abnormalities, 63 had submucosal leiomyomas, 327 had endometrial polyps, and one patient had a scar pregnancy. Except for leiomyomas, whose technique already included two surgical times at the beginning, only seven patients required a second surgical step. Cumulative rates of intraoperative and postoperative complications of 2.7% and 0.6%, respectively, were reported. Conclusions: Diode laser through \"see and treat\" hysteroscopy appears to be a safe and effective method. However, additional studies with larger sample sizes and improved designs are needed to consolidate the evidence currently available in the literature.

BACKGROUND: Hysteroscopy represents the gold standard for the diagnosis and treatment of intrauterine pathologies. The advent of the mini-resectoscope heralded a new era in intrauterine surgery, both in inpatient and outpatient settings.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness, safety, and feasibility of the mini-resectoscope for the treatment of intrauterine pathologies.
METHODS: Electronic databases were searched for English-language trials describing surgical procedures for uterine pathologies performed with a mini-resectoscope until 30 April 2023.
METHODS: Retrospective or prospective original studies reporting the treatment of uterine pathologies with mini-resectoscope were deemed eligible for the inclusion.
METHODS: Data about study features, characteristics of included populations, surgical procedures, complications, and results/outcomes were collected.
RESULTS: Seven papers that met the inclusion criteria were included in this systematic review. Quantitative analysis was not possible due to data heterogeneity. A descriptive synthesis of the results was provided accordingly to the pathology hysteroscopically removed/corrected: polyps and myomas, uterine septum, intrauterine synechiae, and isthmocele.
CONCLUSIONS: The mini-resectoscope is poised to play a leading role in hysteroscopic surgery for many pathologies, both in inpatient and outpatient settings. Since some applications of the mini-resectoscope have not yet been thoroughly investigated, future studies should address current knowledge gaps, designing high-quality comparative trials on specific applications.

BACKGROUND: Chronic endometritis (CE) and endometrial polyps (EPs) are common conditions in reproductive age women. CE is an infectious disorder of the endometrium characterized by signs of chronic inflammation at hysteroscopic and histological analyses. EPs are abnormal endometrial growths containing glands, stroma and blood vessels projecting from the lining of the uterus. During the last years, different authors have investigated the correlation between CE and EPs, with controversial results. The aim of this study was to summarize available evidence on the potential correlation between CE and EPs.
METHODS: Systematic literature review and meta-analysis.
METHODS: Observational-studies were identified by searching electronic databases from their inception to September 2021. Only studies on pre-menopausal women were included. Statistical analysis was performed using MedCalc 16.4.3 (Ostend, Belgium) and Review Manager version 5.3 (Nordic Cochrane Centre, Cochrane Collaboration). The summary measures were reported as pooled proportion or odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI). The primary outcome was to evaluate the prevalence of CE in women with EPs. The secondary outcome was to determine the prevalence of CD-138-positive EPs among EPs. Tertiary outcomes were to compare the prevalence of CE in women with EPs versus women with a non-polypoid endometrium and to compare the prevalence of CE in women with a single EP versus women with multiple EPs.
RESULTS: Eight observational studies (n = 3225 patients) were included in quantitative synthesis. Pooled prevalence of CE among women with EPs was 51.35% (95% CI, 27.24-75.13%). Pooled proportion of CD-138-positive EPs among EPs was 70.73% (95% CI, 55.73-83.68%). Women with EPs showed higher prevalence of CE compared to women without EPs (OR 3.07, 95% CI 1.59-5.95). Women with ≥3 EPs had higher prevalence of CE then women with a single EP (OR 3.43, 95% CI 1.83-6.46).
CONCLUSIONS: In pre-menopausal women, CE and EPs may have a dependent relationship and may represent two consequent steps of a common pathological process.

In this study, we aimed to estimate the frequency of premalignant and malignant lesions in endometrial polyps, and to evaluate associated clinical and demographic factors. A literature search was performed in major databases and the gray literature using the terms polyps OR endometrial polyp AND endometrial neoplasms OR endometrial cancer OR endometrial hyperplasia OR malignan*. Studies describing the frequency of premalignant and malignant lesions in endometrial polyps and any clinical or demographic factors associated with malignant lesions extracted using hysteroscopy were considered eligible. Independent investigators selected the studies and extracted the data. A meta-analysis was performed using a random-effects model and meta-regression. We identified 37 studies (comprising 21,057 patients) of endometrial polyps. The prevalence of premalignant and malignant lesions was 3.4% (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.8-4.1; I2, 80.5%). Abnormal uterine bleeding (prevalence ratio [PR], 1.47; 95% CI, 1.27-1.69; I2, 82.4%), menopausal status (PR, 1.67; 95% CI, 1.48-1.89; I2, 78.4%), age >60 years (PR, 2.41; 95% CI, 1.84-3.16; I2, 81.5%), diabetes mellitus (PR, 1.76; 95% CI, 1.43-2.16; I2, 0.0%), systemic arterial hypertension (PR, 1.50; 95% CI, 1.20-1.88; I2, 75.9%), obesity (PR, 1.41; 95% CI:1.13-1.76; I2, 41.2%), and tamoxifen use (PR, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.06-2.21; I2, 0.0%) were associated with endometrial polyp malignancy. However, breast cancer (PR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.44-1.57; I2, 0.0%), hormonal therapy (PR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.67-1.30; I2, 31.7%), parity (PR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.39-1.96; I2, 78.1%), and endometrial polyp size (PR, 1.05; 95% CI, 0.70-1.57; I2, 44.7%) were not associated with malignancy of endometrial polyps. Three of every 100 women with clinically recognized polyps, a condition associated with specific clinical and demographic factors, will harbor premalignant or malignant lesions.

Resectoscopic surgery is routinely performed to remove endometrial polyps and uterine myomas. A search of Medline, PubMed, and the Cochrane Library was conducted through November 2016 for studies written in English, regardless of sample size or study type. The studies were then filtered by selecting those evaluating resectoscopic surgery. An analysis of peer-reviewed, published literature was performed to examine the clinical application of this treatment modality on patients requiring polypectomy and myomectomy. Different surgical techniques were also compared: hysteroscopy with scissors, forceps, or a cold loop; resectoscopy with radiofrequency energy; and mechanical resection. The literature finds that operative time during resectoscopic surgery is significantly longer than with mechanical resection. Resectoscopic myomectomy, however, may be necessary for removal of larger or more deeply embedded myomas. Ultimately, both techniques result in symptom resolution and a low recurrence rate.

The cost of fertility treatment is expensive and interventions that reduce cost can lead to greater efficiency and fewer embryos transferred. Endometrial polyps contribute to infertility and are frequently removed prior to infertility treatment. It is unclear whether polypectomy reduces fertility treatment cost and if so, the magnitude of cost reduction afforded by the procedure. The aim of this study was to determine whether performing office or operative hysteroscopic polypectomy prior to infertility treatment would be cost-effective. PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane libraries were used to identify publications reporting pregnancy rates after hysteroscopic polypectomy. Studies were required to have a polypectomy treatment group and control group of patients with polyps that were not resected. The charges of infertility treatments and polypectomy were obtained through infertility organizations and a private healthcare cost reporting website. These charges were applied to a decision tree model over the range of pregnancy rates observed in the representative studies to calculate an average cost per clinical or ongoing pregnancy. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to assess cost savings of polypectomy over a range of pregnancy rates and polypectomy costs. Pre-treatment office or operative hysteroscopic polypectomy ultimately saved €6658 ($7480) and €728 ($818), respectively, of the average cost per clinical pregnancy in women treated with four cycles of intrauterine insemination. Polypectomy prior to intrauterine insemination was cost-effective for clinical pregnancy rates greater than 30.2% for office polypectomy and 52.6% for operative polypectomy and for polypectomy price <€4414 ($4959). Office polypectomy or operative polypectomy saved €15,854 ($17,813) and €6644 ($7465), respectively, from the average cost per ongoing pregnancy for in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection treated women and was cost-effective for ongoing pregnancy rates greater than 26.4% (office polypectomy) and 31.7% (operative polypectomy) and polypectomy price <€6376 ($7164). These findings suggested that office or operative hysteroscopic polypectomy was cost-effective when performed prior to both intrauterine insemination and in vitro fertilization over a range of plausible pregnancy rates and procedural costs.

The aim of this study was to analyze all available evidence regarding the use of intrauterine morcellator (IUM), for treatment of the most prevalent intrauterine benign lesions, compared to both traditional resectoscopy and conventional outpatient operative hysteroscopy in terms of safety, efficacy, contraindications, perioperative complications, operating time, and estimated learning curve. We reported data regarding a total of 1185 patients. Concerning polypectomy and myomectomy procedures, IUM systems demonstrated a better outcome in terms of operative time and fluid deficit compared to standard surgical procedures. Complication rates in the inpatient setting were as follows: 0.02% for IUM using Truclear 8.0 (Smith & Nephew Endoscopy, Andover, Massachusetts) and 0.4% for resectoscopic hysteroscopy. No complications were described using Versapoint devices. Office polipectomy reported a total complication rate of 10.1% using Versapoint device (Ethicon Women\'s Health and Urology, Somerville, New Jersey) and 1.6% using Truclear 5.0 (Smith & Nephew Endoscopy). The reported recurrence rate after polypectomy was 9.8% using Versapoint device and 2.6% using Truclear 8.0. Finally, the reported intraoperative and postoperative complication rate of IUM related to removal of placental remnants using Truclear 8.0 and MyoSure (Hologic, Marlborough, Massachusetts) was 12.3%. The available evidence allows us to consider IUM devices as a safe, effective, and cost-effective tool for the removal of intrauterine lesions such as polyps, myomas (type 0 and type 1), and placental remnants. Evidence regarding Truclear 5.0 suggests that it may represent the best choice for office hysteroscopy. Further studies are needed to confirm the available evidence and to validate the long-term safety of IUM in procedures for which current data are not exhaustive (placental remnants removal).

Hysteroscopy is widely performed in infertile women. A review of peer-reviewed, published literature from the PubMed database on uterine intracavitary pathology, proximal tubal occlusion, failed in vitro fertilization procedures, and first trimester miscarriages of infertile women was performed to examine the importance, feasibility, and success rates of diagnostic and operative hysteroscopy when evaluating and treating these conditions.