Cox offers alternative to hysterectomy surgery

Cox Health Systems is the first hospital in Springfield to offer the new ThermaChoice Uterine Balloon Therapy system to women in this area, according to a press release from Cox.

Several doctors are performing this minimally invasive treatment for women who suffer from excessive menstrual flow due to benign causes in pre-menopausal women who have completed childbearing, the release stated.

Excessive menstrual bleeding (menorrhagia) is one of the leading causes of hysterectomy. The ThermaChoice Uterine Balloon Therapy can be used under local anesthesia in an outpatient setting.

The ThermaChoice procedure uses heat to remove the endometrial lining of the uterus, the primary source of menstrual bleeding. A balloon catheter is inserted vaginally through the cervix and into the uterus.

The balloon is inflated with sterile fluid, which is then heated to 87 degrees Celsius (188 degrees Fahrenheit) for eight minutes. After the treatment cycle is completed, the balloon is deflated and the balloon catheter is withdrawn and discarded, the release stated.

Following the procedure, an over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug provides effective pain relief, and patients can typically return to their normal activities the next day.

Excessive menstrual bleeding is a debilitating condition that affects approximately 22 percent of all menstruating women, and accounts for more than 30 percent of the 600,000 hysterectomies performed annually in the United States, Cox stated.

Additionally,

excessive menstrual bleeding is a common cause of iron deficiency anemia.

The ThermaChoice Uterine Balloon Therapy system was approved for use in the United States in December 1997. ThermaChoice was developed by the Gynecare division of Ethicon Inc., a Johnson & Johnson company headquartered in Somerville, N.J.

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The ThermaChoice Uterine Balloon Therapy can be used under local anesthesia in an outpatient setting.[[In-content Ad]]