title: Follow-up of women after a first episode of postmenopausal bleeding and endometrial thickness greater than 4 millimeters.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To estimate the incidence of recurrent postmenopausal bleeding among women who were diagnosed with an endometrial thickness greater than 4 mm.
  
  
  METHODS
  We designed a prospective cohort study and included consecutive women not using hormone replacement therapy, presenting with a first episode of postmenopausal bleeding. We evaluated patients who had an endometrial thickness greater than 4 mm at transvaginal ultrasonography and benign endometrial sampling; presence of carcinoma was ruled out by office endometrial sampling, hysteroscopy, and/or dilation and curettage. Time until recurrent bleeding was measured, and diagnosis at recurrent bleeding was recorded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among 318 patients who had an endometrial thickness greater than 4 mm, 222 patients had benign histology results and were available for follow-up. During follow-up, 47 (21%, 95% confidence interval 16-27%) patients had recurrent bleeding, with a median time to recurrent bleeding of 49 weeks (interquartile range 18 to 86 weeks). There was no difference with respect to recurrence rate between patients with polyp removal, patients with a normal hysteroscopy, and patients with office endometrial sampling alone at the initial workup. Two patients were diagnosed with atypical endometrial hyperplasia upon recurrent bleeding.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The recurrence rate of postmenopausal bleeding in women with endometrial thickness greater than 4 mm is 20%. This recurrence rate is not related to incorporation of hysteroscopy or polyp removal at the initial workup.
  
  
  METHODS
  II.
authors.affiliation: Department of Perinatology , University Medical Centre, Utrecht, the Netherlands. a.timmermans@amc.uva.nl
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Timmermans
authors.forename: Lena C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: van Doorn
authors.forename: Brent C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Opmeer
authors.forename: Maurice V A M
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Kroeks
authors.forename: M Jitze
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Duk
authors.forename: Annette M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Bouwmeester
authors.forename: Roy F M P
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Kruitwagen
authors.forename: F Paul H L J
authors.initials: FP
authors.lastname: Dijkhuizen
authors.forename: Ben W J
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Mol
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D004717:Endometrium / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015907:Hysteroscopy; D008796:Metrorrhagia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008875:Middle Aged; D017698:Postmenopause / Q000502:physiology*; D012008:Recurrence; D014463:Ultrasonography