Microwave endometrial ablation at a frequency of 2.45 GHz for menorrhagia: analysis of treatment results at a single facility.

AIM

We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of microwave endometrial ablation at a frequency of 2.45 GHz in women with menorrhagia. This method has been attracting attention as an alternative to hysterectomy in the treatment of functional and organic menorrhagia.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

We performed microwave endometrial ablation in 103 women with menorrhagia between August 2007 and October 2012. All patients had completed child bearing. We evaluated the efficacy of microwave endometrial ablation using a visual analog scale for menorrhagia, dysmenorrhea, and patient satisfaction. We also evaluated the incidence of hypermenorrhea recurrence, amenorrhea, and procedure complications in relation to patients' clinical factors, such as the presence of myoma, adenomyosis, uterine size, and type of bleeding.

RESULTS

A total of 76 patients completed the evaluation period. Excessive menstruation improved from a preoperative mean visual analog score of 10, to 1.9 after treatment. Dysmenorrhea improved from a mean score of 4.2, to 1.3, and patient satisfaction had a mean score of 9.0. Hemoglobin levels improved from 10.1 g/dL preoperatively to 12.5 g/dL postoperatively. Four patients experienced recurrence of excessive menstruation. No related clinical factors could be identified for recurrence risk or the occurrence of postoperative infection. A total of 26 patients (34.2%) became amenorrheic; these patients were less likely to have myomata, intramural myomata, and myomata larger than 5 cm.

CONCLUSIONS

Microwave endometrial ablation at a frequency of 2.45 GHz is an effective and safe treatment. It should be considered as a standard treatment for conservative therapy-resistant menorrhagia.