Hysteroscopy- and laparoscopy-based diagnosis and treatment of girls with unbroken hymen with an obstructing uterine septum: two case reports

Obstructing uterine septum is a rare uterine malformation. Patients with obstructing uterine septum are usually treated with laparouterotomy, causing obvious injury to both the uterus and body of the patients. Therefore, using the natural channel of the vagina is undoubtedly the best way to carry out the surgery. However, obstructing uterine septum usually occurs in puberty in girls without a history of sexual intercourse, thus iatrogenic damage to the hymen during the diagnosis and treatment cannot probably be avoided. However, Chinese people traditionally tend to use hymen intactness as a standard to judge whether an unmarried woman is chaste. Therefore, in China, to protect the hymen from damage during hysteroscopic diagnosis and treatment is of special significance for girls and women with unbroken hymens. None of the previously reported cases were treated with electrosurgical obstructing uterine septum excision based on B-ultrasound-guided hymen-protecting hysteroscopy and laparoscopy.

Case 1 patient was a virgo intacta 13-year-old Chinese girl. She was admitted due to an 8-day post-menstruation lower abdominal pain. With the guidance of B-ultrasound, we observed a 30mm×20mm mixed echogenicity mass in her uterine cavity. Case 2 patient was a virgo intacta 14-year-old Chinese girl. She was admitted to our hospital more than 6 months after secondary dysmenorrhea and 6 days after B-ultrasound-diagnosed uterine malformations. We observed a 30mm×25mm mixed echoic area in her uterine cavity with the guidance of B-ultrasound.

Both patients were surgically treated without hymen damage with B-ultrasound-guided combined therapy of hysteroscopy and laparoscopy. A needle electrode with an 8mm diameter was placed into their uterine cavities under hysteroscopy. After obstructing uterine septum removal, their uterine cavities showed normal morphology. To protect their hymens, misoprostol was placed into their rectums to soften their cervices, so that the hysteroscope could be inserted into their cavities without damaging their hymens.