The choice seems simple for most women undergoing hysterectomy surgery when they are provided the option to choose between a more invasive surgery with a six to eight week recovery time or a minimally invasive surgery with a recovery time of two weeks.

However, despite the reduced invasiveness and shorter recovery time, choosing the less invasive method of hysterectomy surgery has brought about life-changing, or even life-ending consequences for women.

Hysterectomy: Traditional Versus Laparoscopic Hysterectomy

In a traditional abdominal hysterectomy, the entire uterus is removed through a single large vertical or horizontal incision of 5-7 inches is made in the lower abdomen. The typical recovery time is a month and a half to two months.

In a laparoscopic hysterectomy, three to four small incisions are typically made that range from one-quarter of an inch to three-quarters of an inch. A power assisted tool called a power morcellator is then inserted through the small incisions and the rotating head on the power morcellator breaks up tissue into tiny pieces. These can be easily removed through the small incisions. Less blood loss occurs and recovery time is typically only two weeks.

Complications Due to Laparoscopic Hysterectomy

The use of a power morcellator in laparoscopic hysterectomy has been linked with an increased risk of the development of uterine cancer. When the power morcellator breaks up the uterine tissue, it can end up disturbing undetected, latent cancerous cells in the area.

Left alone, the cells would be confined to one area. Although the patient would likely receive a uterine cancer diagnosis in the future, without the power morcellator’s disruption of the cells the prognosis would be good.

However, when the uterine cancer cells are spread by the morcellator, they have the potential to spread throughout the uterine cavity, creating a cancer that is more aggressive. When this type of situation is discovered post-hysterectomy it can be very dangerous, and the cancer can have a poor prognosis due to its aggressive nature.

The FDA is aware of this complication and has estimated that about 1-in-350 women who undergo a power morcellation assisted laparoscopic hysterectomy will suffer from uterine cancer as one of the morcellator side effects.

Due to this increased cancer risk as one of the known morcellator side effects, the FDA issued a warning and now requires that the power morcellator device come with a “black box” warning, which is reserved for the most potentially dangerous devices and pharmaceuticals on the market.

Since the FDA’s warning in 2014, the largest manufacturer of power morcellator devices, Johnson & Johnson, has pulled its product from the market. Many hospitals no longer permit the use of morcellators due to the increased morcellator cancer risk.

Also, many insurance companies no longer cover procedures done with a power morcellator since it has been determined that one of the morcellator side effects is uterine cancer.

Morcellator Cancer Lawsuit Information

If you or a loved one received a diagnosis of uterine cancer following a laparoscopic hysterectomy, laparoscopic fibroid removal or other surgery using laparoscopic power morcellation, you may be entitled to legal compensation.  An experienced attorney is available to review your case for you at no charge and can discuss your legal options with you.