LETTERS

Absence of global ablation device questioned

In “Endometrial ablation: a look at the newest global procedures” [February], Keith Isaacson, MD, does a good job of summarizing the 3 most recently approved devices for global endometrial ablation. However, I find it puzzling that he failed to mention the device that launched the breakthrough in second-generation global ablation techniques: Gynecare’s Thermachoice Uterine Balloon Therapy System. Since 1997, approximately 175,000 cases have been performed with this system, producing excellent results, a low incidence of complications, and no reported cases of endometrial cancer.

Dr. Isaacson states that the long-term consequences of endometrial ablation remain unknown because follow-up data beyond 24 months are minimal. That is not true. In fact, at the recent annual meeting of the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists (AAGL), Frank Loffer, MD, and David Grainger, MD, presented 5-year follow-up data of patients participating in the Thermachoice trial. The data verified the efficacy and safety originally reported. The authors concluded that uterine balloon therapy is effective for treating menorrhagia, and “clinical outcomes are similar to rollerball ablation at 5 years post-procedure.” Clearly, the omission of uterine balloon therapy resulted in an unbalanced article.