[Endometrial ablation by fiberoptic hysteroscopy and YAG laser]

The authors report the first cases of the use of operating fibre hysteroscopes with YAG laser to carry out endometrial ablation. Fiberoptic hysteroscopes were used and made it possible to carry out the procedure with much greater precision because of their mobility and flexibility. YAG laser rays are passed down an operating channel and can treat the whole of the endometrium in 20 minutes operating time. This treatment was suggested to 44 patients who had menorrhagia and did not respond to treatment with progestogens as an alternative to hysterectomy. There were 81.7% very good results, 11.3% good results and only 7% failures with a followup period of 3 to 20 months. There was no operative or post-operative complication either in the short or the longterm. This technique is a new one and not much used in France, but its advantages have been confirmed by several authors, especially in the United States.