The Gravlee Jet Washer: Can it replace the diagnostic curettage?

Diagnostic Accuracy and Clinical Applicability of Cytological and Histological Methods for

“…The jet wash studies published mentioned the easy and quick sampling procedure. In the cases not given anesthesia, the procedure failed in an average of 3.7 O/o of patients, most of whom were symptomatic periand postmenopausal subjects (1, 3, 7, 52, 112,162,163,175,179,190). The most frequent reasons for failure were cervical or vaginal sknosis, marked uterine retrover-…”

Endometrial Screening of Asymptomatic Women by Irrigation Technique in the Private Gynecology Office

“…This study failed to detect a single case of occult endometrial carcinoma in the asymptomatic women who were screened, but the numbers were relatively small and these patients have subsequently remained well. We are convinced from our own experience (39) and the experience of others (9,(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29)40) that straightforward carcinoma can be diagnosed with considerable accuracy when sufficient material is obtained by endometrial irrigation (Table 10). Some authors (23,42) were familiar with endometrial screening and used it appropriately, therebyobtaining better results than others (41) who apparently did not submit all specimens to filter preparations for cytologic study.…”

“…Smears for Papanicolaou staining were also prepared from the sediments; the remaining fluid aliquots were passed through 5-micron Millipore filters and stained by the Pap method for cytologic study. The accuracy of these techniques in confirming the diagnosis of adenocarcinoma in symptomatic patients undergoing anesthesia and subsequent dilatation and curettage has been established (39) and confirmed by a review of the literature (15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29).…”

“…The negative-pressure endometrial "jet" irrigation technique of obtaining samples for cytologic and histologic study, as described by Dowling and Gravlee (15), has shown accurate correlation of results with those on tissue samples obtained by surgical curettage of the uterine cavity, in the diagnosis of adenocarcinoma of the endometrium in symptomatic patients (16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29). Furthermore, this technique is more accurate than Pap smears and endometrial biopsy in patients with established diagnoses of adenocarcinoma (8,23,25).…”