Balloon ablation: is this an outpatient procedure?

Menorrhagia is associated with considerable health consequences. First-line therapy is medical, but when this proves unsuccessful a surgical procedure is often undertaken. It is estimated that as many as one in five women will have a hysterectomy before the age of 60 years. While a curative procedure this is a major operation with both morbidity and mortality associated with it. More conservative procedures have therefore been sought. Balloon therapy was developed in 1994 and it was introduced to Royal Bolton Hospital in 1998. Initially offered under general anaesthesia, an overall a success rate of 91% was achieved in this study, with amenorrhea in 18% of cases. Dysmenorrhea was improved in 60% of patients. Twenty-eight patients received outpatient therapy, under a paracervical block. All patients were given voltarol pretreatment. Subjectively the procedure was well tolerated by most, and objectively 89% of patients rated the procedure as acceptable. Sixty-one per cent of patients would be happy to undertake the procedure again under local anaesthesia. Findings from this study would indicate that balloon ablation does provide an effective, less invasive, alternative treatment for menorrhagia. Despite limited numbers, it would also seem appropriate, in selected patients, to offer this therapy as an outpatient procedure.