Description:
This procedure is used to treat heavy menstrual periods, also known as menorrhagia.
Menorrhagia is a very common problem. In 2000/2001, about 45,000 hysterectomies and 17,000 therapeutic endoscopic uterine procedures were carried out in England (Hospital Episode Statistics; ungrossed for missing data; Department of Health). About half of these are likely to be for heavy menstrual bleeding.
Hysterectomy has been the standard treatment for women with menorrhagia that has not responded to medical treatment. Photodynamic endometrial ablation is a new non-hysteroscopic procedure which involves the injection of a photosensitive chemical into the uterine cavity through a hysterosalpingography catheter. A laser is transmitted from a probe inserted through the cervix. This activates the photosensitive chemical, which the destroys the endometrium.
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