[Thermachoice thermal balloon therapy--a 10-year-experience].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectivness of a global method of endometrium ablation--Thermachoice (Gynecare; Johnson & Johnson) baloon therapy in treatment of excessive uterine bleeding. Our 10-year-long-experience is presented.

DESIGN: Retrospective study.

SETTINGS: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, First faculty of Medicine, Charles University and General Teaching Hospital, Prague.

METHODOLOGY AND RESULTS: 109 patients were treated in our depatment from November 1997 till the end of the year 2007. The pacients were contacted personally, over the phone and by sending questinnaires. 92 women (84.4%) were included into the evaluation group after twelve month and after 5 years there were 54 women. The group was mostly formed by seriously polymorbid patients. The average age was 41.6 years. In the twelve-month-follow-up there were 38 percent amenorrheic, five years later there were 63 percent of them. 13 women (14%) ended with hysterectomy--two pacients without any connection with the operation. In 3 cases there was a therapeutic cycle failure, because the acquired intrauterine pressure was not reached. In one case of the monstrous obese woman, after a longer period form the operation there was a carcinoma of the endometrium found out. Two women after the termoablation became pregnant: the first one non-voluntarily, she decided for the arteficial abortion and then the hysterectomy, the second one, despite the fact, that she had been fully informed, underwent the IVF therapy and at the age of 37 she delivered by the Cesarian section in the 36-week-old pregnancy the healthy girl weighing 2900 gramms. With one patient--a young woman the operation was combined with uterine artery embolisation (UAE)--and that is why she was excluded. 51.5% of all operations were perfomed without general anestesia. There was no serious complication in the observed group.

CONCLUSION: The big advantage of the second generation ablation methods is the possibility to realise the operation without the general anestesia and with the minimum discomfort for the patient. Another favourable circumstance was the shorter determined operating time and lower percentage of complications in comparison with the first generation methods. The big benefit is mainly for the seriously polymobid pacients.