In a case control study published in the March 2012 issue of The Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology, researchers analyzed the rate of development of endometriosis following different hysterectomy procedures: laparoscopic, transvaginal, and abdominal.

These findings were originally presented at the Society of Gynecologic Surgeons’ 37^th Annual Meeting. Dr. Mitchell W. Schuster, surgeon with OB-GYN Associates in Decatur, Alabama, conducted this study with several colleagues.

The scientists compared 277 women who had received laparoscopic supracervial hysterectomy with morcellation to 187 women who underwent transvaginal or abdominal hysterectomy without morcellation.

These surgeries were performed from January 2006 through December 2008, with a reported 102 women developing endometriosis at the time of their hysterectomy. Dr. Schuster and his colleagues found that 63 percent of patients who underwent a hysterectomy with morcellation, had been diagnosed with endometriosis.

By comparison, 28.6 percent of non-morcellation hysterectomy patients had been diagnosed with the condition. However, the researchers pointed out that both case and control groups averaged a 1.4 percent diagnosis rate.

Despite the higher diagnosis rate from the hysterectomy with morcellation group, the research team concluded that more research was needed to adequately determine the risk for endometriosis.

What is Endometriosis?

Endometriosis is a painful condition which affects the tissue that normally lines the inside of the woman’s uterus.

Instead of lining the uterus, endometriosis causes the tissue to grow outside the uterus and possibly effect the ovaries, bowel, or the tissue lining the pelvis. The trapped tissue can possibly form cysts, become irritated, and eventually develop into scar tissue.

The most well-known symptom of endometriosis is severe pelvic pain, which is often compared to menstrual camps. However this pain is described to be much worse, with patients saying that the pain increased over time. Other indications of this condition include painful intercourse, painful bowel movements, occasional excessive bleeding, painful periods, and infertility.

Endometriosis is often diagnosed in women seeking fertility treatments, after experiencing difficulty becoming pregnant.

At this point, it is unknown as to what causes endometriosis, but physicians agree that the most common cause is retrograde menstruation. This occurs when menstrual blood containing endometrial cells, flows back into the fallopian tubes and into the body’s pelvic area.

What is Morcellation?

Morcellation is a surgical method using a robotic surgical device, called a power morcellator, for highly delicate procedures such as hysterectomies. It is a minimally invasive surgery, in which small laparoscopic incisions are made and the morcellator is inserted to break up tissue that can be removed through the tiny opening.

Power morcellation has been used to assist in hysterectomies as well as benign fibroid removal.  These morcellation devices consist of tiny rotating blades, which break large masses of tissue down into small fragments that are easily removed out of the body.

Morcellation has become popular amongst patients and is estimated to consist up to 12 percent of the annual 600,000 hysterectomies performed in the United States.

Despite the popularity, numerous patients and medical experts have complained of the risks associated with morcellation. The primary risk is uterine cancer, which reportedly develops from the device unintentionally rupturing a uterine sarcoma that was previously undetected.

At this point, it is unknown if endometriosis is going to be a concern resulting from power morcellator use, but doctors encourage patients to be vigilant against any possible post-surgery complications.