US agency warns against morcellation in hysterectomies and myomectomies

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a safety communication on 17 April urging doctors not to use laparoscopic power morcellation for hysterectomies or removal of uterine fibroids over concerns that the technique may spread uterine sarcomas beyond the uterus.1

These procedures use a device with rapidly spinning blades to cut the uterine tissue into fragments so that it can be removed through a small incision. The term comes from the French morceler, to break into pieces.

However, according to a new FDA analysis, about 1 in 350 women having a hysterectomy or myomectomy for …