This January issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology features two articles diametrically opposed in their messages as to the true risk of power morcellation.
In this month’s issue, a group of 48 top gynecological surgeons, headed by William Parker of UCLA, and a few women’s health advocates, including Carla Dionne of the National Uterine Fibroid Foundation (NUFF.org), published a letter directed to the FDA in defense of the use of power morcellation and challenging the FDA on its oversight of the device.
In the article, the physicians advocate for the use of power morcellators, stating that the FDA’s “… recommendations were not based on science, but rather on emotional and anecdotal information,” and pointing to studies that show a lower risk than that touted by the FDA. The authors also point out that restricting power morcellators provides women with fewer options for fibroid removal and increases the risk of complications by having to undergo an open procedure.
Interestingly, in the same issue of the journal, another group of gynecologists estimated that the number of unsuspecting women having hysterectomies and myomectomies who are at risk of cancer upstaging from morcellation is one in 276.
A blog post on philly.com by Dr. Amy Reed and her husband, Dr. Hooman Noorchasm, a cardiothoracic surgeon, admonishes Dr. Parker and the other physicians for attempting to divert the conversation into a discussion of statistical uncertainty, instead of admitting that when it comes to an incorrect and avoidable surgical practice, it is not acceptable to put women at risk, whether they number one in 156 or one in 10,000.
Parker and his counterparts compare unavoidable risks of all surgery – i.e. wound infections, blood clots, or perioperative heart attacks – with the avoidable risk of spreading a cancer using morcellation.
Filing a Morcellator Cancer Lawsuit
Contact Anapol Weiss if you underwent a minimally invasive hysterectomy or myomectomy and suspect recurring health conditions may be related to the use of a power morcellator. We will investigate your situation and answer any questions you have.