Gravlee Jet Irrigator as a Screening Method?

Abstract

To the Editor.— Endometrial cancer is a highly curable disease in its earliest stage. We agree with Twiggs et al (235:2748, 1976) that the symptoms of abnormal uterine bleeding demand evaluation by surgical fractional curettage. On the other hand, we feel that the Gravlee jet endometrial irrigation technique may be of value as a screening method for detection of occult endometrial cancer in asymptomatic women at risk for this disease. In our experience with endometrial irrigation in screening asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic perimenopausal and postmenopausal women, we have cytologically or histologically demonstrated each of five endometrial carcinomas that were diagnosed in a group of 40 patients who were then subjected to uterine curettage under anesthesia. 1 These tumors were histologically well differentiated or partially differentiated. It is further remarkable that the cervical-vaginal Papanicolaou smear was negative in each of these five patients. We do not feel that the irrigation technique