Use of hysteroscope for vaginoscopy or hysteroscopy in adolescents for the diagnosis and therapeutic management of gynecologic disorders: a systematic review.

Study Objective: The purpose of this article is to review the published literature and perform a systematic review to evaluate the effectiveness and feasibility of the use of a hysteroscope for vaginoscopy or hysteroscopy in diagnosing and establishing therapeutic management of adolescent patients with gynecologic problems.

Design: A systematic review.

Setting: PubMed, Web of science, and Scopus searches were performed for the period up to September 2013 to identify all the eligible studies. Additional relevant articles were identified using citations within these publications.

Participants: Female adolescents aged 10 to 18 years.

Results: A total of 19 studies were included in the systematic review. We identified 19 case reports that described the application of a hysteroscope as treatment modality for some gynecologic conditions or diseases in adolescents. No original study was found matching the age of this specific population.

Conclusions: A hysteroscope is a useful substitute for vaginoscopy or hysteroscopy for the exploration of the immature genital tract and may help in the diagnosis and treatment of gynecologic disorders in adolescent patients with an intact hymen, limited vaginal access, or a narrow vagina.