Every year hundreds of thousands of women undergo a hysterectomy procedure. This surgery is rather invasive, and often unnecessary. Lately, many women are going with a less invasive route. Rather than have a complete hysterectomy (removal of the uterus), they are undergoing a myomectomy (removal of uterine fibroids). This procedure allows them to recover much more quickly, but it may present some additional dangers if certain measures are not followed.

Fibroid Removal

Fibroids are benign tumors that grow on the uterine wall. The uterus is a smooth muscle is subject to fibroids, and for the vast majority of women they present no harm. In fact, most women don’t even know they have them. For some, however, the fibroids grow in just the wrong place, or they grow too large, and start to provide discomfort. In the past a large incision was made on the abdomen and the entire uterus was extracted. Now, through laparoscopic methods, the fibroids can be removed while leaving the bulk of the tissue in place.

Power Morcellators Spread Cancer

In order to perform the surgery with as little damage to the surrounding area, many surgeons will use a device called a power morcellator. This device is essentially a cutting blade on the end of a hollow tube. The blade end is inserted and the fibroids are cut off, ground, and removed through the tube. The procedure boasts a recovery time of about 1/3 that of a full hysterectomy.

However, during the process some fibroids that contain cancerous cells may be chopped. Since the morcellator cannot remove 100% of the tissue, cancerous cells end up being spread throughout the uterus, and can cause aggravation. The aggravated cells begin to multiply rapidly, and instead of removing the discomfort from the fibroids, the patient is left with an advanced stage of uterine cancer.

Contact a Personal Injury Attorney

If you have undergone a hysterectomy or a myomectomy with the use of a power morcellator, and you have subsequently been diagnosed with an advanced stage of cancer, you may be able to file a morcellator lawsuit. Contact a personal injury attorney right away to schedule your no obligation case review.