Surgeries such as a hysterectomy are common procedures for women living in the Houston area. A hysterectomy or other procedures, such as the removal of uterine fibroids, can be done with minimally invasive surgeries that are safe and effective. But, one technique using a medical device called a power morcellation has doctors worried.
A hysterectomy or the removal of uterine fibroids can be done using many different techniques. One technique involves using a medical device to chop up the tissue in the fibroids, or in the uterus if it’s a hysterectomy. This is done using the laparoscopic power morcellation. The fragments that are left are then removed through small incisions.
The FDA is warning women that using the power morcellation in the surgery may not be a good idea. There is a risk that during a power morcellation procedure cancerous tissue can be spread throughout the abdomen and pelvis region. It is estimated that 1 in 350 women who undergo a hysterectomy have a certain type of cancer called uterine sarcoma. Many women who have this cancer and then have a power morcellation performed on them have found their cancer has spread.
The FDA suggests that women should undergo a hysterectomy or fibroid removal using traditional surgery or laparoscopic surgery without a power morcellator. It is believed that for this surgery and many women the power morcellator is a defective medical product that can cause serious issues for women. Women who have been affected by this surgery may want to get more information about their legal options. Doing so can help determine what happened to cause the worsened and unexpected condition and perhaps hold the medical device manufacturer accountable.
