Many women opt to undergo a type of hysterectomy or fibroid removal surgery using a medical device called a power morcellator.

However, there have been growing reports of problems with morcellation surgeries.

How Does a Power Morcellator Work?

A power morcellator is an electric instrument used in abdominal surgeries such as laparoscopic hysterectomies, myomectomies (removal of fibroids) as well as liver and spleen surgeries.

The power morcellator looks somewhat like a drill with sharp blades at the end. The primary purpose of this device is to cut up larger pieces of tissue into smaller pieces.

Doctors make small incisions in the abdomen and then insert the end of the morcellator into the incision to perform the morcellation. The offending tissue is chopped up by the morcellator and then it is vacuumed out of the body.

The benefits to such a procedure allows for smaller incisions which lead to a shorter recovery time for women. Morcellation surgery also provides for less post-operative pain and fewer wound complications.

In an estimated 11-12% of all hysterectomies performed in the U.S., power morcellation devices are used. The power morcellator device was developed to reduce the size of an enlarged uterus so that it can be removed laparoscopically.

Fibroids occur in up to 80% of women by the time the reach the age of 50. These non-cancerous fibroids account for about 40% of hysterectomy cases.

However, even though this type of procedure may seem like the best option, there are some serious problems with morcellation surgery.

Serious Problems with Morcellation Surgery

Some common problems with morcellation surgery include:

But the problems with morcellation surgery can also be much more serious. In some cases it has significantly increased cancer risks in female patients.

Because of the way that the morcellator ruptures the uterine wall during a hysterectomy, women with undetected uterine sarcoma are at serious risk of developing aggressive cancer. In essence, the morcellation procedure releases undetected cancer cells into the body where they can spread.

This issue is considered very serious because there is currently no way to detect uterine sarcoma. Some reports show that 1 in 350 women who undergo a uterine fibroid surgery using a power morcellator may have undiagnosed sarcoma and are at risk of developing aggressive leiomysarcoma.

When a power morcellator is used and a woman has undetected cancer, those cancerous cells spread throughout the pelvic cavity and abdomen and causes the disease to spread.

Even if there is no cancer, as a result of the morcellation tissue fragments can also spread throughout the abdomen can cause growth on other organs of the body. This leads to pain and swelling and perhaps more surgery.