Laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy versus endometrial ablation for women with heavy menstrual bleeding (HEALTH): a parallel-group, open-label, randomised controlled trial

Publication date: Available online 12 September 2019Source: The LancetAuthor(s): Kevin Cooper, Suzanne Breeman, Neil W Scott, Graham Scotland, Justin Clark, Jed Hawe, Robert Hawthorn, Kevin Phillips, Graeme MacLennan, Samantha Wileman, Kirsty McCormack, Rodolfo Hernández, John Norrie, Siladitya Bhattacharya, HEALTH Study GroupSummaryBackgroundHeavy menstrual bleeding affects 25% of women in the UK, many of whom require surgery to treat it. Hysterectomy is effective but has more complications than endometrial ablation, which is less invasive but ultimately leads to hysterectomy in 20% of women. We compared laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy with endometrial ablation in women seeking surgical treatment for heavy menstrual bleeding.MethodsIn this parallel-group, multicentre, open-label, randomised controlled trial in 31 hospitals in the UK, women younger than 50 years who were referred to a gynaecologist for surgical treatment of heavy menstrual bleeding and who were eligible for endometrial ablation were randomly allocated (1:1) to either laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy or second generation endometrial ablation. Women were randomly assigned by either an interactive voice response telephone system or an internet-based application with a minimisation algorithm based on centre and age group (<40 years vs ≥40 years). Laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy involves laparoscopic (keyhole) surgery to remove the upper part of the uterus (the body) containing the en...
Source: The Lancet - Category: General Medicine Source Type: research