Numerous women across the United States have been opting to use laparoscopic morcellator devices for their hysterectomies and other sensitive surgeries.

However, the risk of uterine cancer and other serious morcellator side effects have been repeatedly reported from laparoscopic morcellator surgery.

The laparoscopic morcellator, or power morcellator, is a surgical tool often used in gynecological surgery to make the procedure as minimally invasive as possible.

After a small incision is made in the abdomen, the device is inserted where the rotating blades break apart uterine fibroid tissue.

The unwanted fibroid tissue is then removed from the incision, making these delicate procedures as simple as possible. Traditional surgical methods are much more invasive, and patients also have to contend with a recovery time of six to eight weeks.

However, morcellation surgery only requires an average recovery time of two weeks. It is not a surprise many women prefer this innovative surgical method.

But many patients have reportedly developed morcellation cancer soon after undergoing surgery using laparoscopic morcellator devices.

Overview of Laparoscopic Morcellator Side Effects

Morcellation cancer refers to uterine cancer that quickly develops and diagnosed after laparoscopic morcellator surgery and has become a well known risk in the medical community.

Often patients who are diagnosed with morcellation cancer had dormant cancer cells or undiagnosed stage one uterine cancer. These cells are released into the body after the laparoscopic morcellator surgery.

When the rotating blades cut up the fibroids, the cancer cells are released to spread throughout the body.

There is currently no diagnostic method available to determine if patients have uterine cancer before undergoing laparoscopic morcellator surgery.

To address this concern, the FDA issued a public warning regarding power morcellator side effects involving different gynecological procedures and using laparoscopic morcellators.

In the announcement, the agency stated that power morcellation surgery could potentially spread undiagnosed uterine sarcoma tissue. While uterine cancer is easy to treat in early stages, it can be deadly if left to spread.

The FDA recommended power morcellator manufacturers include a warning describing this risk. Even though there are different tools available to decrease the chances of morcellation cancer, such as surgical bags, many surgeons no longer use these devices.

The FDA estimates that one in 352 women who undergo power morcellation for hysterectomy or myomectomy for uterine fibroid removal, has undetected uterine cancer.

The agency also estimated that one in 498 women have undiagnosed leiomyosarcoma, an aggressive form of uterine cancer.

Ever since the FDA warned the public against power morcellator side effects, a number of manufacturers have actually stopped producing them and removed them from the market entirely.

While the FDA warning has gone a long way for patients, the warning came too late for many patients who have already been diagnosed with morcellation cancer.

Patients who were diagnosed with morcellation cancer may be eligible to file a power morcellator lawsuit and should contact a specialized lawyer.