Hysterectomies and fibroid tumor removals are some of the most common gynecological procedures that women undergo today.

Considered “minimally invasive,” these surgeries are often described to women as “routine” and rather ordinary. However, the use of power morcellators and the problems they have stirred up may change how women look at these procedures.

A power morcellator is a surgical device used in laparoscopic (minimally invasive) gynecological surgery applications. The device is inserted through a small surgical opening in the abdomen and is used to break apart the internal organs or fibroids so they can be easily removed through the small incision.

Until recently, power morcellation was very commonly used in hysterectomy and fibroid removal applications.

The Dark Side of Power Morcellation

While the device was effective at doing its job, some women had their lives drastically changed after undergoing surgery assisted by power morcellation. For many women, tumors that had what was considered a “dormant” cancer quickly thrown into late stage cancer diagnoses with metastases to other parts of the body.

Fibroid tumors are disturbed by morcellation if they are the target of surgery and can also be disturbed during a hysterectomy, so nearly every woman who has a power morcellator used in her surgery would be at risk.

When the power morecellator breaks apart the tumor, it can disturb the cancer cells that make up the tumor and cause them to be disseminated internally, allowing the cancer to spread. Many women had no idea that they even had cancer until after the laparoscopic surgery using power morcellation spread it.

FDA and Power Morcellation

Power morcellators were first approved in the early 1990s by a process called 501(k). Through this process, a new device had only to be considered “substantially equivalent” to a device that had already been FDA approved. This allowed manufacturers to avoid the lengthy safety testing that was required of new products.

After a numerous complaints of cancer development following power morcellation use, the FDA began to research the link more carefully and  issued an urgent warning in 2014. The warning advised doctors to thoroughly explain morcellation risks and consider alternatives to morcellation.

The FDA even considered banning power morcellators for a time, but in November 2014 issued another FDA warning instead. The new warning required manufacturers to place a “black box” warning on their products, a designation reserved for the riskiest devices and medications on the market.

The FDA now considers power morcellation-assisted surgery as risky for “the majority of women.”

Power Morcellation Lawsuit Information

If you or a loved one was diagnosed with cancer following a power morcellation procedure, you may have a legal claim. A morcellation cancer attorney can review your case for free and can help you decide if filing a morcellation cancer lawsuit is right for you.