English

Abstract

BACKGROUND Female genital tuberculosis (FGTB) primarily an asymptomatic disease, is one of the most important causes of female infertility in developing countries. The diagnosis of GTB has been a challenge. In recent years, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique has evolved as a useful and rapid technique for the diagnosis of GTB, but this method has some limitations. Ultrasound of the endometrium is easy to perform and therefore the imaging modality of choice in a clinical setting, however its role in diagnosing genital tuberculosis has not been explored to a large extent.The aim of the study was to determine whether thin (<8mm) endometrium in infertile women indicates genital tuberculosis (GTB) and to ascertain the validity of thin (<8mm) endometrium in the diagnosis of genital tuberculosis.METHODS This prospective study was carried out from August 2014 to June 2015 in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal. Sixty infertile women with endometrial thickness (ET) <8mm and/or those with normal ET in whom GTB was suspected as a cause of infertility were recruited for the study. PCR test results were correlated with the ET.RESULTS ET was <8mm in 52 patients and ≥8mm in 8 patients; PCR was positive in 11 patients and negative in 49 patients; Sensitivity was 81.81%, Specificity was 12.24%, PPV was 17.30% and NPV was 75%. CONCLUSIONS Thin ET may not be a good indicator of the presence of genital tuberculosis and normal endometrial thickness does not rule out genital tuberculosis.