Healthcare Industry News: Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia
News Release - September 15, 2006
ETHICON Introduces New, Advanced Device for Laparoscopic Hysterectomy
Engineered for Increased Speed and ControlSOMERVILLE, N.J., Sept. 15 (HSMN NewsFeed) -- ETHICON Women's Health and Urology announces the availability of the GYNECARE MORCELLEX* Tissue Morcellator, an advancement in tissue morcellation that facilitates laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy (LSH). The new device is engineered to provide surgeons with a fast, precise morcellation tool that delivers enhanced performance and efficiency.
Unlike a traditional hysterectomy, which involves the removal of the uterus through a large abdominal incision, LSH removes only the uterus (and sometimes the fallopian tubes and ovaries) and preserves the cervix. The GYNECARE MORCELLEX device is an important component used during the LSH procedure. It allows the surgeon to morcellate the tissue of the uterus and extract it through small abdominal incisions. Advancements in the engineering of this device allow tissue morcellation to take place more effectively and at a rate four times as fast as the current ETHICON product offering. The easy-to-use design minimizes setup time, and a more durable titanium-coated blade speeds tissue morcellation.
"Once a woman and her physician have decided that hysterectomy is the best solution, LSH is a viable option that should be explored," said Andrew I. Brill, MD, Director of Minimally Invasive Gynecology at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco. "This new surgical tool is designed to minimize some of the challenges physicians may face when performing the procedure, and as a result, hopefully make LSH accessible to more women."
Each year approximately 600,000 women in the United States undergo a hysterectomy, making it the most common, non-pregnancy related surgery performed on women. In fact, more than one-fourth of U.S. women will have a hysterectomy by the time they are 60 years old. Compared to traditional hysterectomy, LSH has the potential to offer the patient less pain, minimal scarring, and a faster return to normal activity.
During the LSH procedure, a doctor inserts a thin, lighted telescope-like instrument called a laparoscope, which acts like a video camera, and small surgical instruments through three to four tiny incisions in the navel and abdomen. Using the instruments, the surgeon carefully separates the uterus from the cervix and removes it through one of the openings. The cervix is left intact. The GYNECARE MORCELLEX device can also be used to facilitate laparoscopic myomectomy.
As with all surgery, hysterectomy involves risks, including potential blood loss, infection, and damage to other internal organs.
For more information about LSH and GYNECARE MORCELLEX Tissue Morcellator visit http://www.jnjgateway.com or http://www.LSHinfo.com.
ETHICON Women's Health and Urology is dedicated to providing innovative, minimally invasive treatments for common urologic and women's health conditions. The division offers solutions for enlarged prostate (Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia); female stress urinary incontinence; pelvic floor repair; post-surgical adhesions; heavy periods (menorrhagia); and benign uterine conditions, such as fibroids and polyps. ETHICON Women's Health and Urology is a division of ETHICON, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson company. For more information, please visit http://www.gynecare.com.
*Trademark of ETHICON, Inc.
Source: ETHICON
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