Bipolar radiofrequency compared with thermal balloon endometrial ablation in the office: a randomized controlled trial.

Objective: To estimate the feasibility of local anesthetic endometrial ablation in the office using bipolar radiofrequency endometrial ablation or thermal balloon ablation technologies and to estimate which procedure alleviates heavy menstrual bleeding and improves quality of life more effectively.

Methods: A single-center, single-blind, randomized controlled trial was conducted based in an office hysteroscopy clinic in a university teaching hospital. Eighty-one women with heavy menstrual bleeding without significant intracavity pathology were randomly allocated to bipolar radiofrequency endometrial ablation or thermal balloon ablation in an office setting, avoiding use of general anesthesia or conscious sedation.

Outpatient Thermachoice endometrial balloon ablation: long-term, prognostic and quality-of-life measures.

Study Objective: To evaluate short- and long-term treatment outcomes of outpatient local anaesthetic thermal balloon endometrial ablation (LA-TBEA) and identify any prognostic factors.

Study Design: Prospective observational study in a UK teaching hospital involving 102 menorrhagic women undergoing LA-TBEA between 2001 and 2005. Women underwent either Gynecare® Thermachoice I (n = 51) or Thermachoice III (n = 51) TBEA performed in the outpatient setting under local anaesthesia without conscious sedation.

Hospital recovery following Thermachoice ablation is not dependent on setting (outpatient or daycase) or rescue analgesia: unexpected result.

Background: Thermal balloon endometrial ablation (TBEA) is increasingly being performed in the outpatient setting under local anaesthesia (LA) rather than in a daycase setting under general anaesthesia (GA). Our aim was to compare the post operative rescue analgesia requirements and duration of hospital stay in women undergoing outpatient (LA) and daycase (GA) TBEA.

Methods: Prospective observational study of consecutively recruited women who underwent outpatient (LA) TBEA (n=51) and daycase (GA) TBEA (n=50) over the same time period.

Future research into abnormal uterine bleeding.

Abnormal uterine bleeding in terms of menstrual disorders and postmenopausal bleeding are common clinical problems in both primary and secondary care. Advances in diagnostic and therapeutic technologies have offered opportunities to improve the outcomes of women suffering with these complaints. Future research should concentrate on a robust approach to the assessment of these health technologies, including the use of outcome assessments of importance to patients such as effects on health-related quality of life and taking account of patient preferences.