Change in Surgical Practice for Women With Leiomyomas After the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Morcellator Safety Communication

Pressure-Induced Fibroid Ischemia: First-In-Human Experience with a Novel Device for Laparoscopic Treatment of Symptomatic Uterine Fibroids

The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of use of a novel uterine fibroid treatment device hypothesized to cause fibroid infarction by increasing intra-tumoral pressure. Between August 2019 and January 2020, 21 uterine fibroids were treated in 16 symptomatic pre-menopausal black women. Pelvic magnetic resonance imaging was performed before the procedure, a day after the procedure and at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months. The subjects were also followed for clinical outcomes and quality of life up to 12 months at a single investigational site. At 3 months, the mean reduction in the fibroid volume was 36.3% (P = .002). Incremental reduction in volume peaked at the end of the follow-up, at the 12-month mark (60.4%; P = .008). There were no procedures in which the users failed to perform laparoscopic pressure suturing of fibroids with the pressure-induced fibroid ischemia device. Improvement in the quality of life was evident in the Health-Related Quality of Life total, Energy/Mood, Control, and Sexual Function domains of the Uterine Fibroid Symptom and Quality of Life questionnaire at 3 months post-procedure. Unanticipated risks were not identified. Serious adverse events were not identified. The initial clinical assessment of the pressure-induced fibroid ischemia device supports feasibility of the approach and does not reveal serious safety concerns. Trial is currently being registered retrospectively (This was a feasibility study and therefore registration was not mandatory).

The defense of mental disorder and crimes against the person committed under the influence of cannabis: A Canadian perspective

The legalization of cannabis raises many queries, one of which regards the criminal liability of users under the influence of cannabis when crimes against the person are committed. This perspective review consequently aims to examine the defense of mental disorder (also referred to as the insanity defense) in Canadian criminal law and revise court decisions involving cases with cannabis use rendered in the field between 1995 and 2021. The purpose was to specify the factors allowing Canadian criminal courts to grant or refuse the defense of mental disorder to help further operationalize the jurisprudential criteria for forensic practice. We noted that presence of a severe and persistent primary psychopathology was the most decisive factor when determining the verdict of the accused who consumed cannabis.

Safety Warning about Laparoscopic Power Morcellation in Hysterectomy: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of National Impact

Background:

Following a 2014 safety warning (that laparoscopic power morcellation may increase tumor dissemination if patients have occult uterine cancer), hysterectomy practice shifted from laparoscopic to abdominal approach. This avoided morcellating occult cancer, but increased perioperative complications. To inform the national impact of this practice change, we examined the cost-effectiveness of hysterectomy practice in the postwarning period, in comparison to counterfactual hysterectomy practice had there been no morcellation warning.

Materials and Methods:

We constructed a decision tree model to simulate relevant outcomes over the lifetime of patients in the national population undergoing hysterectomy for presumed benign indications. The model accounted for both hysterectomy- and occult cancer-related outcomes. Probability-, cost-, and utility weight-related input parameters were derived from analysis of the State Inpatient Databases, State Ambulatory Surgery and Services Databases, data from the New York Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System and New York State Cancer Registry, and published literature.

Results:

With an estimated national sample of 353,567 adult women, base case analysis showed that changes in hysterectomy practice after the morcellation warning led to a net gain of 867.15 quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), but an increase of $19.54 million in costs (incremental cost-effectiveness ratio = $22,537/QALY). In probabilistic sensitivity analysis, the practice changes were cost-effective in 54.0% of the simulations when evaluated at a threshold of $50,000/QALY, which increased to 70.9% when evaluated at a threshold of $200,000/QALY.

Conclusion:

Hysterectomy practice changes induced by the morcellation warning are expected to be cost-effective, but uncertainty in parameter values may affect the cost-effectiveness results.

An analysis of the surgical outcomes of laparoendoscopic single-site myomectomy and multi-port laparoscopic myomectomy

Background

This study sought to compare the surgical results of patients undergoing a laparoendoscopic single-site myomectomy (LESS-M) and a conventional laparoscopic myomectomy (CLM) at our hospital.

Methods

The basic data of 233 patients undergoing LESS-M and 233 patients undergoing CLM at the Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University were collected from January 2018 to January 2020, and the results of the operations were compared by evaluating a number of factors, including operation time, intraoperative bleeding, postoperative fever, and postoperative maximum body temperature.

Results

The operation times of the LESS-M and CLM groups were 83.9±33.4 and 75.2±26.7 min, respectively; the difference between the groups was statistically significant. The surgical blood loss of the LESS-M group was 86.1±76.9 mL, and that of the CLM group was 83.8±79.9 mL (P>0.05). When the diameter of a fibroid was ≥8 cm, a fibroid was located in the posterior wall or the number of fibroids was ≥4, the operation time of the CLM group was shorter than that of the LESS-M group. When the diameter of a fibroid was ≥8 cm, the blood loss of the CLM group was less than that of the LESS-M group.

Conclusions

LESS-M is safe and feasible. If the diameter of a fibroid is ≥8 cm, the fibroid is located in the posterior wall, or the number of fibroids is ≥4, the utility of single-port surgery should be carefully considered.

Hospital variation in responses to safety warnings about power morcellation in hysterectomy

BACKGROUND

Safety warnings about power morcellation in 2014 considerably changed hysterectomy practice, especially for laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy that typically requires morcellation to remove the corpus uteri while preserving the cervix. Hospitals might vary in how they respond to safety warnings and altered hysterectomy procedures to avoid use of power morcellation. However, there has been little data on how hospitals differ in their practice changes.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to examine whether hospitals varied in their use of laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy after safety warnings about power morcellation and compare the risk of surgical complications at hospitals that had different response trajectories in use of laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy.

STUDY DESIGN

This was a retrospective analysis of data from the New York Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System and the State Inpatient Databases and State Ambulatory Surgery and Services Databases from 14 other states. We identified women aged ≥18 years undergoing hysterectomy for benign indications in the hospital inpatient and outpatient settings from October 1, 2013 to September 30, 2015. We calculated a risk-adjusted utilization rate of laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy for each hospital in each calendar quarter after accounting for patient clinical risk factors. Applying a growth mixture modeling approach, we identified distinct groups of hospitals that exhibited different trajectories of using laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy over time. Within each trajectory group, we compared patients' risk of surgical complications in the prewarning (2013Q4-2014Q1), transition (2014Q2-2014Q4), and postwarning (2015Q1-2015Q3) period using multivariable regressions.

RESULTS

Among 212,146 women undergoing benign hysterectomy at 511 hospitals, the use of laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy decreased from 15.1% in 2013Q4 to 6.2% in 2015Q3. The use of laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy at these 511 hospitals exhibited 4 distinct trajectory patterns: persistent low use (mean risk-adjusted utilization rate of laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy changed from 2.8% in 2013Q4 to 0.6% in 2015Q3), decreased medium use (17.0% to 6.9%), decreased high use (51.4% to 24.2%), and rapid abandonment (30.5% to 0.8%). In the meantime, use of open abdominal hysterectomy increased by 2.1, 4.1, 7.8, and 11.8 percentage points between the prewarning and postwarning periods in these 4 trajectory groups, respectively. Compared with the prewarning period, the risk of major complications in the postwarning period decreased among patients at "persistent low use" hospitals (adjusted odds ratio, 0.88; 95% confidence interval, 0.81-0.94). In contrast, the risk of major complications increased among patients at "rapid abandonment" hospitals (adjusted odds ratio, 1.48; 95% confidence interval, 1.11-1.98), and the risk of minor complications increased among patients at "decreased high use" hospitals (adjusted odds ratio, 1.31; 95% confidence interval, 1.01-1.72).

CONCLUSION

Hospitals varied in their use of laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy after safety warnings about power morcellation. Complication risk increased at hospitals that shifted considerably toward open abdominal hysterectomy.

The Medical Device Applied to Uterine Fibroids Morcellation: Analysis of Critical Biological Issues and Drawbacks from A Medical-Legal Prospective

Following the FDA safety communication of 2014 increasing attention has been to the treatment of uterine fibroids, due to the suspicion of a potential leiomyosarcoma (ULM). FDA banned the use of power morcellation in the US, since this technique is likely to spread malignant cells from an unsuspected ULM. We criticized the medical legal consequences of this banning among gynecologists and patients, focusing on the drawbacks of biology and surgery. The authors analyzed literature data on one side, on the incidence, diagnosis and treatment of leiomyoma and ULM, and the other side, on the power morcellations and related critical issues, trying to highlight their main controversial aspects and to outline the possible impact on patients and on medical responsibility. The alternative methods to power morcellation are more invasive surgical solutions (as mini laparotomy or culdotomy), which inevitably involve associated risks with the surgical procedure as such and always request the containing bags. Although the in-bag morcellation is a promising technique, currently the used devices are largely off-label. This highlights the surgical risk, in case of complications, of suffering for malpractice claims both for not having used a containment system, favoring the spread of the neoplasm, and for its off-label use. Since the diagnosis of ULM is by histology after surgery, the fear of legal consequences or medical malpractice for unknown ULM power morcellation, should be targeted to analyze, in terms of cost/benefit ratio, the surgical priority. It should focus on the prevention of the risk of having a rare and statistically limited ULM or on the surgical-related complications, often linked to a slowdown minimally invasive surgery, or on the use of the authorized in-bag morcellations.

Comparison of the Number of Spindle Cells in Peritoneal Washings between Laparoscopic Myomectomy with Morcellation and Open Myomectomy without Morcellation

STUDY OBJECTIVE

This study evaluated peritoneal washings for the detection of spindle cells (SCs) in laparoscopic and open myomectomies.

DESIGN

Prospective, nonrandomized clinical trial.

SETTING

An academic tertiary referral center.

PATIENTS

Women suspected of having benign uterine myoma undergoing laparoscopic or open myomectomy from October 2016 to April 2018.

INTERVENTIONS

Washing of the peritoneal cavity to detect SCs was performed twice during the laparoscopic myomectomy. The first washing was after the closure of the myometrial incision and before morcellation. The second one was performed after morcellation. The procedure was also performed once during the open myomectomy, after the completion of the myomectomy and the closure of the incision. After a peritoneal washing with 200 mL normal saline, 30 mL liquid was collected and sent to the laboratory for SC detection. Surgical parameters such as operating time, mean change in serum hemoglobin level, complications, length of hospital stay, and readmission were compared between the 2 groups.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

A total of 150 participants were included in the analysis: 78 in the laparoscopic group and 72 in the open myomectomy group. After morcellation, the incidence of SCs was 2.6% (n = 2) and 6.9% (n = 5) in the laparoscopic and open myomectomy groups, respectively (p = .204).

CONCLUSION

SCs were observed in both the laparoscopic and open myomectomy groups. Thus, morcellation alone could not be the cause for SC dissemination, which might also be triggered by the manipulation of myoma(s).

Activin A induces tumorigenesis of leiomyoma via regulation of p38β MAPK-mediated signal cascade

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to investigate the role of p38-C/EBPβ signaling in leiomyoma cells and myometrial cells challenged with Activin A, and to identify specifically the isoform of p38 MAPK that mediates the effects of Activin A.

METHODS

The immortalization human leiomyoma cells (HuLM) and human myometrial cells (HM), and mouse myometrial tissues were treated with Activin A (4 nM) in response to p38α/β inhibition (10 μM SB202190) or depletion (p38 α/β-targeting siRNA or p38β muscle specific-knock out mice). p38 MAPK signaling molecules (p-p38 and p-C/EBPβ) and ECM components (COL1A1 and/or FN) were analyzed by Western blotting.

RESULTS

Activin A induced ECM accumulation in leiomyoma cells and myofibroblastic transformation in myometrical cells specifically by p38β MAPK.

CONCLUSION

This study is the first to demonstrate that activation of C/EBPβ by p38β MAPK may contribute to tumorigenesis and progression of Activin A-induced leiomyoma. Specific p38β inhibition may represent a novel and promising intervention for leiomyoma.

Tissue Extraction in Gynecologic Surgery: Past, Present, and Future

Fibroid tissue extraction during hysterectomy and myomectomy has become increasingly controversial. A wave of research has tried to clarify difficult questions around the prevalence of occult malignancies, the effect of morcellation on cancer outcomes, proper informed consent, and surgical options for tissue extraction. This review examines the history of these controversies and discusses tissue extraction techniques and continued areas of debate in the field.

The impact of recent power morcellator risk information on inpatient surgery and patient outcomes

Aim: We examine the impact of the new risk information about a surgical device on surgery and patient outcomes for hysterectomy in the inpatient setting. Methods: We utilize a difference-in-differences approach to assess the impact of new risk information on patient outcomes in the inpatient setting between 2009 and 2014. The inpatient data come from a nationally representative sample of hospitalizations in the USA. We use the likelihood of laparoscopic surgery, measures of resource use and surgical complications as outcome variables. Results: We estimate a three-percentage point decrease in the likelihood of receiving laparoscopic hysterectomy, a one-percentage point increase in the likelihood of experiencing a surgical complication and no impact on resource use, relative to pre-existing means. Conclusion: Our findings show that there was movement away from laparoscopic surgery in the months following the dissemination of new risk information. These changes had limited effect on patient outcomes.