Warnings on Morcellation Procedures

Hundreds of thousands of women, each year, become diagnosed with some type of fibroids, uterine cancer, or another problem to affect the reproductive system.

Approximately 60,000 women, after speaking with a healthcare provider, have decided to go ahead with a hysterectomy administered to remove all or partial of their whole universe, and likely even the ovaries, cervix, or fallopian tubes.

Laparoscopic morcellation is a procedure that is usually recommended to address these health issues.

A hollow, thin, tube-like structure to mince, puncture, and remove the area of the body affected is employed.

The physical makeup of the device enables it to extract with minimal invasiveness the section, but it also adds severe complications, such as the likelihood of spreading cancer, which may already exist in patients.

Some years ago, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued warnings on morcellation procedures against the use of laparoscopic morcellation, via performing myomectomies and hysterectomies in the reproductive system.

The publication outlined, specifically, the likelihood that this operation could spread cancer in the uterus already existing in a minimum number of patients to undergo morcellation.

The publication went on to allocate several warnings to women and medical providers.

To medical providers, it admonished against a recommendation of the procedure without thorough attention and review.

It advised physicians, further, to disclose strongly the likely risks of laparoscopic morcellation to each patient prior to the surgery.

All women were encouraged to study the benefits and detriments of every likely course of treatment.


It reminded them, additionally, to continue care with the physicians subsequent to surgery to monitor any presence or spread of cancer in the cells.

The prevalence of uterine sarcoma, in estimation, and leiomyosarcoma in patients going with myomectomies and hysterectomies as in about one in every 500.

Morcellator manufacturers were urged to entail information on the labels of the products regarding the likelihood of the invasion of existing cancer in the cells subsequent to laparoscopic morcellation.

With warnings on morcellation procedures, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has yet to issue a recall to ban completely the use of the devices in surgery; despite a vigorous and extensive debate, interestingly, on the relationship between laparoscopic morcellation and uterine cancer in the healthcare community.

On to the medical arena, since their arrival, laparoscopic morcellators have become quite popular because of lacking intrusiveness.

This device is chosen, every year, thousands of times in the operation of myomectomies and hysterectomies.

Physicians across the nation have become silent, and have essentially waited for direction from the U.S. Government, and various medical authorities, subsequent to questions regarding morcellator use with pre-existing cancer cells and patience.

Regarding warnings on morcellation procedures, attorneys work diligently in handling claims for personal injury, with healthcare experts and physicians with experience who can make prudent assessments of the medical aspects to support any pursuit to recover damages due to medical malpractice.

Contact us for a free consultation or call Anzalone Law Firm PLLC, at: 603.548.3797.