One manufacturer contacted for this Master Class lists the price of a complete office tower (light source, camera, and monitor) at approximately $9,700 and the price of a
rigid hysteroscope, sheath, and hand instruments at about $6,300.
In addition, the investigators found that most patients in the selected studies underwent hysteroscopy with a
rigid hysteroscope that ranged in diameter from 2.9 mm to 5.5 mm.
I use a 3-mm single-flow
rigid hysteroscope for diagnostic purposes and can quickly add the operative sheath, making the hysteroscope a 5-mm operative
rigid hysteroscope, when I need to perform a minor procedure.
When a
rigid hysteroscope is used diagnostically, an open-sided speculum should be used, because a closed speculum will restrict the free movement of the scope.
In terms of product type, the market has been segmented into
rigid hysteroscopes and flexible hysteroscopes.
(1,7) Flexible hysteroscopes range in diameter from 2.7 to 5 mm;
rigid hysteroscopes, from 1 to 5 ram; and operative hysteroscopes can be as large as 8 to 10 mm.
One reason why this technology hasn't been more widely embraced is that initially only
rigid hysteroscopes were available.