Post-Ablation Endometrial Carcinoma (PAEC) Following Radiofrequency Endometrial Ablation: A Case Report and Its Implications for Management of Endometrial Ablation Failures

Abstract:

Endometrial ablation (EA) has become one of the most commonly performed gynecologic procedures in the United States and other developed countries. Global endometrial ablation (GEA) devices have supplanted resectoscopic ablation primarily because they have brought with them technical simplicity and unprecedented safety. These devices, all of which received FDA approval between 1997 and 2001, are typically used to treat abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) in premenopausal women. Several million women in the US who have undergone a previous EA procedure are about to enter the risk pool for the development of endometrial cancer (EC). Ours is the 18th reported case of post-ablation endometrial carcinoma (PAEC) in the English literature. This case underscores the diagnostic challenges faced in evaluating women with a history of a previous EA who cannot be properly evaluated with conventional techniques such as endometrial biopsy and sonohysterography.

Authors:

Morris Wortman, MD, FACOG, Director, Center for Menstrual Disorders, Clinical Associate Professor of Gynecology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, Josette C. Dawkins, MD, Resident, Second Year, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Rochester General Hospital, Rochester, New York

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