Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine, Vol 12, Issue 12 737-741, Copyright © 1993 by American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine
Endometrial and myometrial thickness and uterine blood flow in postmenopausal women: the influence of hormonal replacement therapy and age
I. Zalud, C. Conway, H. Schulman and D. Trinca
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Winthrop University Hospital, Mineola, New York 11501.
The aim of our study was to assess the age and hormonal influence on
endometrial and myometrial thickness and uterine blood flow in
postmenopausal women. One hundred and nine healthy postmenopausal women
were examined by transvaginal ultrasonography and color Doppler
ultrasonography. Twenty women (18.4%) were under continuous HRT for at
least 1 year. In all patients, full thickness of the endometrium and half
thickness of the myometrium was measured. Pulsed Doppler waveforms were
used to calculate the RI for the left and right uterine arteries.
Endometrium thickness in the groups without HRT did not change as the years
of postmenopause progressed. This was also true for myometrial thickness.
The resistance to blood flow in the uterine arteries remained the same as
the postmenopause progressed, but with each 5 year analysis, the ability to
see the uterine arteries decreased. The duration of the therapy did not
affect the measured parameters. The thickness of the endometrium was larger
in the groups with HRT in comparison with all groups without HRT (P <
0.01). Myometrial thickness and uterine blood flow are not affected and did
not show any significant influence from HRT. In conclusion, continuous HRT
significantly influences the thickness of the postmenopausal endometrium
but not of the myometrium or the uterine artery blood flow.
