The Current Controversy Regarding Power Morcellation in Gynecologic Surgery

Abstract

Synopsis Over the course of the 2 years following power morcellation during laparoscopic hysterectomy in the presence of an occult cancer in a Boston area physician, the previously frequently used tool has been banned in the majority of hospitals following warnings from the US FDA. An increasing number of hysterectomies and myomectomies performed annually in the USA are done using laparoscopic or robotic techniques. Power morcellation, which allows removal of surgical specimens through a narrow tube via a sharp circular rotating cutting knife has greatly facilitated this increase. First FDA approved for gynecologic surgery in 1995, laparoscopic power morcellation was used to allow removal of uterine tissue from the peritoneal cavity after myomectomy or hysterectomy via