| March 2004 · Vol. 16, No. 3 SURGICAL TECHNIQUES
Laparoscopic tissue extraction: Pros and cons of 4 techniques
Understanding risks and benefits can improve tissue removal without spillage or protracted morcellation.
Dr. Bieber is senior vice president and chairman, division of obstetrics and gynecology, and medical director of the Women’s Service Line, Geisinger Health Systems, Danville, Pa. ERIC
J.
BIEBER,
MD
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KEYPOINTS
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In appropriately selected patients, the ability to easily and skillfully remove tissue during laparoscopy facilitates patient recovery and healing and limits hospitalization time.
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Even dense tissues such as partially calcified leiomyomata are readily removed with automatic morcellators, and the size of masses is less significant than with “manual” approaches.
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Novel surgical devices and techniques have transformed operative laparoscopy by improving the inefficiencies in tissue extraction that limited early acceptance.
In the beginning, it was relatively easy to isolate a myoma and dissect it from the underlying myometrium, but it took hours to extract the tissue using a hand-held morcellator. This article focuses on the 4 techniques commonly used today, as well as the products that make them possible.
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