Unregistered User If this is not your name, click here.
		Contact Us | Order Now | Journals | Bookstore | Register a colleague
	Select a ChannelAcneAIDS and HIVAllergy OtherAlzheimer'sAnaesthesiology OtherAngina Pectoris/MIAnxietyArthritis OtherAsthmaBack PainBacterial InfectionsBladder CancerBone Marrow TransplantationBreast CancerCardiology OtherCataractCell TransplantationCervical CancerCholesterol/Lipid disordersCirrhosisClinical PharmacologyColorectal CancerCongestive Heart FailureContact DermatitisContraceptionCOPDCystic FibrosisDental and Oral DisordersDepressionDermatology OtherDiabetesDialysisEating DisordersElbowEmergency MedicineEndocrinology OtherEpilepsyErectile DysfunctionFibromyalgiaGastro OtherGeneticsGenitourinary OtherGeriatricsGERD/GastritisGlaucomaH. Pylori/UlcerHaematology OtherHair LossHeadachesHepa/Biliary OtherHepatitisHipHRTHypertensionIBDImmunologyInfectious OtherInfertilityIntensive CareIrritable Bowel SyndromeKneeLeukemiasLiver CancerLung CancerLupusLymphomasMelanomaMenopauseMultiple Sclerosis Nephrology OtherNeurologic OtherNutritional / Metabolic OtherOb/Gyn OtherObesityOncology OtherOphth. OtherOphthalmic SurgeryOrgan TransplantationOrthopaedics OtherOsteoarthritisOsteoporosisOtitisOtorhino. OtherOvarian CancerPaediatricsPainPancreatic CancerParkinson'sPregnancyProstate CancerPsychiatry OtherPulmonary OtherRadiologyRenal CancerRenal FailureRespiratory InfectionsRheumatoid arthritisRheumatology OtherRhinitisSchizophreniaShoulderSleep ApnoeaSleep DisordersSpineStrokeSTDsSurgeryThyroid DisordersTransfusionTransplant Surgery OtherTraumaUrinary IncontinenceUrinary tract infectionsVaccinologyVascular DisordersViral Infections

SEARCH   News Bookstore Medline The Web Meetings & Congresses Complete Doctor's Guide    EXPLORE :    All News   All Webcasts   All Cases   All Meetings & Congresses   All Medical Resources New drugs / indications English Dictionary Medical Dictionary Thesaurus Warning | Privacy | Awards  Favourite Journals  Click here to choose your favourite journals  Favourite Sites  Click here to choose your favourite sites  Languages  Select languageEnglishFrançais

Heavy Menstrual Bleeding Responds To Microwave Treatment LONDON, UK -- November 26, 1999 -- A new technique, based on use of microwaves, is as effective and safe as the standard treatment for women with very heavy menstrual periods, according to a study published in this week's issue of The Lancet. Dr Kevin G. Cooper and colleagues at the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Aberdeen, UK, studied a group of 263 women who needed surgery to prevent heavy bleeding. In the new technique, microwave endometrial ablation (MEA), a probe is inserted through the cervix, and microwave energy is "painted" over the whole surface of the inside of the womb, raising the temperature of the tissue to about 75(integral)C. The microwaves penetrate only 6 mm into the walls of the womb. The results of this approach were compared with those of the standard method, transcervical resection of the endometrium (TCRE), in which strips of the womb lining are surgically removed. Both procedures are done under general anaesthetic. The assignment of the techniques was randomised and the investigators judged effectiveness by looking at the women's satisfaction with their treatment and their feelings about its acceptability. Twelve months after treatment 89 (77 percent) women in the MEA group and 93 (75 percent) of those in the TCRE group were totally or generally satisfied with their treatment and 104 (94 percent) versus 112 (90 percent) found the treatment acceptable. The safety profiles and side-effects were similar for the two approaches. The advantages of the new method are that the treatment times are very fast (on average 11 min for MEA vs 15 min for TCRE) and that the procedure is easier to learn and to carry out for the operating surgeon. Use of MEA should eventually allow outpatient treatment. Dr Cooper and colleagues conclude that MEA seems a suitable alternative to TCRE, though they point out that, for statistical reasons, their trial would not pick up a difference in satisfaction between the groups that was smaller than 15 percent. They also caution that a woman should be informed before either procedure that the operation might not completely end her periods, but that it should decrease the amount of bleeding Related Link: The Lancet. E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version