2. What’s different about EB?
Variety of changes due to hormones
Biopsy induces artifacts
Blind Procedure
Multiple, irregularly oriented tissue fragments
Mixed with blood and contaminating cervical
tissue and mucus
3. Indications
Determine cause of AUB
Status of endometrium in infertile (DATING)
POC : spontaneous abortions or MTP
• Estrogen replacement in perimenopausal and
postmenopausal women
• Tamoxifen therapy for breast cancer
Assessment of the response to hormonal
therapy
4. EB as a screening tool for cancer
Very low yield of significant
abnormalities
Not cost effective
Hence NOT
Recommended
6. Type of biopsy
Curettage better than biopsy
• Polyps
• Low-grade adenocarcinomas
• Artifactually distorted normal
endometrium
Irregular glands of
hyperplasia
7. Abnormal uterine bleeding
Document histologic evidence of
glandular and stromal breakdown
Foci of stromal foam cells or
hemosiderin, sometimes with fibrosis
Important when there is no organic
cause : conveys endometrial origin of
bleed
8. EB for infertility evaluation
LMP : useful but not precise
Ovulatory frequency and length
of follicular phase are variable
Objective : Evidence of ovulation
and histologic date
9. Dating
The secretory phase is constant
(14 days from ovulation)
Variations in cycle length occur
because of proliferative phase
Based on the time of onset of the
upcoming menstrual period, not the
last menstrual period.
18. Day 16-17 / POD 2-3
Regular distribution of subnuclear vacuoles
19. Day 17-18 / POD 3-4
Secretions + Few supra-nuclear vacuolation
20. Day20-21/POD6-7
Peak Secretions + Few vacuoles
Peak secretions day 20
Stromal edema from day 21 (naked nuclei)
No mitosis or pseudostratification from day 19
21. Day 23 -24 / POD 9-10
Perivasuclar pre-decidual changes around
spiral arteries
Glands show secretory exhaustion
Stromal mitosis recur on day 24
22. Day 25 / POD 11
Predecidualized oval stromal cells and
Granulated lymphocytes (K cells)
23. Day 26-27 / POD 12-13
Decidualised stroma with numerous
lymphocytes
25. Pitfalls in Dating
Absence of surface epithelium compromises the
interpretation
Lower uterine segment or basalis is not satisfactory for
dating (not hormonally responsive)
Straight, tubular glands beneath the surface are
normal even during secretory phase
Presence of secretions does not indicate secretory
endometrium
Focal glandular crowding caused by tangential
sectioning
Focal cystic glands or nonreactive glands can occur in
normal endometrium
26. Pitfalls in Dating
Patchy stromal edema is normal by days 17
to 18
Identifying very early pregnancy based on
endometrial changes alone is very difficult
Stromal changes around spiral arteries
assists in the identification of predecidua
Lymphocytes and granular lymphocytes do
not signify menstruation
Difficult to date due to discordance: possible
chronic endometritis or polyp