Question:medium
Which distension medium is used for hysteroscopy performed with bipolar cautery?
Which distension medium is used for hysteroscopy performed with bipolar cautery?
Show Hint
Bipolar needs an ionic fluid, monopolar needs a non-ionic one.
Updated On: Jun 23, 2026
- Glycine
- Normal saline
- Carbon dioxide
- Dextran 70
Show Solution
The Correct Option is B
Solution and Explanation
One rule solves this: bipolar = ionic (saline), monopolar = non-ionic (glycine, sorbitol, dextran).
Run the options through it:
Normal saline is electrolyte-rich and completes the bipolar circuit safely; it is the correct medium for bipolar cautery. Pick this.
Glycine is an electrolyte-free fluid reserved for MONOpolar resection; using it for bipolar is wrong, and it carries hyponatremia/encephalopathy risk if over-absorbed, so out.
Dextran 70 (Hyskon) is a viscous non-ionic medium, again a monopolar-era fluid, so out.
CO2 is a gas for DIAGNOSTIC hysteroscopy only, not for any cautery, so out.
Clinical pearl: the shift to bipolar instruments is exactly what let surgeons switch to saline and largely abandon the hypotonic glycine that caused TURP-like syndromes. Answer is option b, normal saline.
Run the options through it:
Normal saline is electrolyte-rich and completes the bipolar circuit safely; it is the correct medium for bipolar cautery. Pick this.
Glycine is an electrolyte-free fluid reserved for MONOpolar resection; using it for bipolar is wrong, and it carries hyponatremia/encephalopathy risk if over-absorbed, so out.
Dextran 70 (Hyskon) is a viscous non-ionic medium, again a monopolar-era fluid, so out.
CO2 is a gas for DIAGNOSTIC hysteroscopy only, not for any cautery, so out.
Clinical pearl: the shift to bipolar instruments is exactly what let surgeons switch to saline and largely abandon the hypotonic glycine that caused TURP-like syndromes. Answer is option b, normal saline.
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