Safety and Effectiveness of NovaSure^® Endometrial Ablation After Placement of Essure^® Micro-Inserts

Abstract

Objective: In-office NovaSure Ò after Essure Ò is a clinical paradigm for which physicians are seeking information. A PubMed search ( July 2011) revealed no peer-reviewed articles describing this treatment sequence. To address the paucity of data on this topic, patients who had undergone Essure followed by NovaSure in a private practice office between July 1, 2008 and December 31, 2009 were evaluated. The objective was to evaluate safety and feasibility of in-office NovaSure after Essure, and to determine if the effectiveness of either procedure was altered by this treatment sequence. Design: This was a retrospective cohort study of 117 women (ages 24-52). Methods: Patients underwent Essure followed by NovaSure in two in-office sessions, separated by a median of 14 days. All patients had menorrhagia and desired permanent sterilization. A postprocedure patient questionnaire was administered to assess satisfaction and perceived effectiveness. Results: Among patients who underwent Essure followed by NovaSure, 83/117 (71%) returned for a 3-month hysterosalpingogram (HSG). Satisfactory placement and tubal occlusion were noted in 79/83 (95%) of these patients. Amenorrhea or spotting was observed in 72/97 (74%) of patients, 22/97 (23%) reported a satisfactory decrease in menstrual flow, and 3/97 (3%) reported ablation failure. Essure followed by NovaSure did not decrease the effectiveness of either procedure, and no adverse events were attributed to the combination of the two procedures. Patients reported high levels of satisfaction with both procedures. Conclusions: In women seeking permanent birth control and menorrhagia reduction, in-office Essure followed by NovaSure appeared to be safe, effective, and associated with high patient satisfaction. (J GYNECOL SURG 28:83)

Endometrial Ablation: A Tale of Two Women

“…In a study by Kalkat and Cartmill, 1 94% of patients experienced improvements in their menstrual symptoms 6 months after the radiofrequency ablation procedure. Basinski et al 10 reported an amenorrhea rate of 61%, whereas Claas et al 8 reported amenorrhea in 51% of patients treated with radiofrequency ablation (Table 1).…”