Hysteroscopy

Hysteroscopy

Updates from the Committee

BSGE statement on outpatient hysteroscopy

Outpatient hysteroscopy is a commonly performed investigation and offers an invaluable advantage of direct visualization of any abnormality within the uterine cavity. It’s a safe, simple, and quick technique which is well accepted by most of the patients.

There are also hysteroscopy services organised to enable progression to ‘see-and-treat’ in a single setting which allow treatment of endometrial pathology and spares patients major surgical intervention.

However, it is extremely important that women are offered, from the outset or during the procedure, the choice of having the hysteroscopy performed as a day case under general or regional anaesthetic.

In any case, we need to ensure that hysteroscopy is performed to the best practice, including detailed information of the procedure to the patient with discussion of the possible alternatives, administration of appropriate analgesia and reduce the discomfort to the minimum with mini hysteroscopes and using a ‘no-touch’ approach called vaginoscopy. 

You can download Outpatient Hysteroscopy – Patient Satisfaction Survey Questionnaire in pdf by clicking here.
EJOG paper- Benchmarking services in outpatient hysteroscopy (OPH):
A quality improvement project is available in pdf to download by clicking here.

Meet The Committee Members

Nadine Di Donato

Nadine Di Donato

Chair of BSGE Hysteroscopy Portfolio and Consultant Minimal Access Surgeon

As a Consultant Minimal access surgeon at the Southern Endometriosis center I have been tasked to develop a minimal access service and more recently expand this as a robotic service. This has been a challenge and one for which I am keen to offer my experience on the journey for anyone else who wishes to develop their services.

I have been a member of the BSGE since 2015 and I have had an active role in the society website and communications. I have enjoyed doing this and the service that has driven me to stand for the council to represent your views which I have been given during my time on the editorial board of the journal.

With support from the society, I have travelled abroad, visiting centres of excellence and gained experience from other colleagues. This is one of the most valuable opportunities offered by the society and I would aim to strengthen relationship with recognised training hospitals abroad. I am part of the faculty at the University in Bologna – Masters in minimally invasive surgery. This experience will enable me to help support others wanting to gain similar exposure. If elected I would endeavour to help strengthen the research profile and advanced training opportunities, especially for trainees, through collaboration and partnership with other centres abroad.

Caroline Bell

Caroline Bell

Chair of BSGE Nurse Hysteroscopists Portfolio and Nurse Hysteroscopist

My name is Caroline Bell and I live in Cumbria. I am delighted to have the first Subcommittee dedicated to hysteroscopy.   I trained as an adult nurse qualifying in 2002. My job involves Hysteroscopy and I am nurse lead for our trust.  The other part of my job is Cancer nurse specialist which also involves being  part of the Expert advisory group for the north of England. I love my job and find it a real honour to be able to be part of a patient’s journey.

Outside of work, I love spending time with my family and friends.  I feel I am very fortunate to live in the Lake District and love outdoor activities.

I look forward to working as chair on the BSGE council, and supporting my hysteroscopy colleagues, with the subcommittee.

Amelia Davison

Amelia Davison

Consultant Gynaecologist and Hysteroscopy Subcommittee member

Amelia trained in the Yorkshire deanery. She completed a fellowship at Kings College Hospital in gynaecology and early pregnancy ultrasound. In 2014 she was appointed as a Consultant at Homerton University Hospital. As a gynaecologist with the additional skill to perform ultrasounds Amelia is able to offer a complete one stop for women referred as 2 week waits. Amelia has a keen interest in training and education and was college tutor at the Homerton for 5 years. Amelia is currently the London Hysteroscopy ATSM preceptor. Amelia has been part of the faculty for the Diagnostic Operative hysteroscopy course since 2015.

Shilpa Kohle

Shilpa Kohle

Consultant Gynaecologist and Hysteroscopy Subcommittee member

Miss Shilpa Kolhe is a Consultant Gynaecologist at University Hospitals of Derby and Burton in East Midlands, UK. Shilpa is the lead consultant for ambulatory gynaecology and she has contributed immensely in the last 10 years to develop comprehensive ambulatory hysteroscopy services in her department including in-house training and mentoring of a Nurse Hysteroscopist to establish the Nurse-led outpatient hysteroscopy service at RDH since 2016.

She qualified as a doctor from Mumbai University (India 1997), completed postgraduate training obtaining MD in Obstetrics and Gynaecology (Mumbai 1997-2000). She then trained in London (2002-2006) and took inter-deanery transfer to East Midlands obtaining Membership of the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (2006), CCT (2011) and Fellowship in 2018.

She has special interest in benign gynaecology, menstrual disorders, fibroids, minimal access advanced hysteroscopic and laparoscopic surgery, gynaecological scanning and early pregnancy/emergency gynaecology. She practised high risk obstetrics for 20 years and has now dropped obstetrics in 2021 to allow more balanced job plan. She enjoys teaching and has been invited regionally, nationally and internationally as a speaker promoting ambulatory hysteroscopy. She is passionate about quality improvement for patient care and has taken up the role of Divisional Lead for QI at UHDB for Obstetrics and Gynaecology cross site.  She is the Director of Advanced Ambulatory Hysteroscopy Courses held twice yearly at RDH since 2014. More recently, she has been invited to be the co-organizer of the joint RCOG/ BSGE ATSM course “Diagnostic and Operative Hysteroscopy” in 2022.

Rowena Sharma

Rowena Sharma

Consultant Obstetrician & Gynaecologist and Hysteroscopy Subcommittee member

I have been a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at Aneurin Bevan University Health Board for the last 2 years and have specialist interests and skills in benign gynaecology minimal access surgery, gynaecology ultrasound and medical education.

My medical training commenced at Edinburgh University, where I completed my undergraduate medical degree as well as an honours BSc in Anatomical sciences. Having qualified in 2005, I undertook my speciality training in Obstetrics and Gynaecology in northwest London. During this time I completed both MRCSed and MRCOG and progressed to complete the advanced speciality training modules in benign gynaecology surgery, hysteroscopy and advanced labour ward practice. Experience as an endometriosis fellow further enhanced my skill set.

I am the Consultant lead for O&G Post Graduate Training and Education at ABUHB and hold a number of educational roles including mMOET instructor, PROMPT Wales facilitator, MRCOG revision course examiner, RCOG surgical skills trainer and ATSM supervisor for benign hysteroscopy gynaecology surgery. In this latter role and as part of the BSGE hysteroscopy portfolio, I have contributed to hysteroscopy national guidelines and courses and have developed a regional training course for O&G trainees. I have utilised my hysteroscopic skills to contribute to the expansion of our gynaecology ambulatory services. My role as a committee member of the British Society of Gynaecology Imaging (BSGI) responsible for CPD has further enhanced these contributions.

I have been awarded a Mary Seacole NHS Leadership award with the NHS Leadership Academy (2019) and have presented publications both nationally and internationally. I am currently undertaking a Masters degree in Medical Education and look forward to applying my new acquired skills to further develop the delivery of Hysteroscopic surgical training with the BSGE.