The use of outpatient diagnostic hysteroscopy is discussed with reference to a series of 425 women. The test was performed in an outpatient setting with no form of analgesia, anesthesia or premedication in 385 patients (90.6%); the degree of acceptability was very low (intolerable) in 5.5%, supportable in 15.8% and excellent in 78.7% of patients. Fourty-two per cent of patients were aged between 45 and 54 years old, and the mean age was 47.5 years with a range between 18 and 83 years. The indication for the test was pre- or postmenopausal anomalous uterine bleeding in 74% of patients. Hysteroscopic diagnosis was normal in 56% of cases; endometrial polyps were diagnosed in 11.4% of patients; myomas in 11%; low-risk hyperplasia in 9.9% and malignant tumours in 3.6%. The correlation between hysteroscopic diagnosis and histological tests was above 95% in cases of malignant tumours, atrophy and functional endometrium, whereas it was 67% in cases of low-risk hyperplasia. No accidents or complications related to hysteroscopy were reported.