Endometrial ablation in the year 2000--do we have more methods than indications?

Approximately 20-25% of hysterectomies are done for the relief of menorrhagia, excessive menstrual bleeding without gynecologic pathology. Menorrhagia represents a widespread clinical problem, and it is one of the leading causes of elective hysterectomy in women with a normal uterus in the US as well as in Europe. The current management of dysfunctional bleeding includes medical or different types of surgical therapies. When patients wish a nonsurgical therapy for menorrhagia we can offer them different medical treatments, a IUD releasing levonorgestrel or a therapeutic dilatation and curettage (D&C). Until recently, women who did not respond to medication were limited to either hysterectomy or continued cycles of heavy menstrual bleeding. Methods for hysteroscopic endometrial ablation were introduced in the 1980s including Nd:YAG laser ablation, transcervical resection of the endometrium (TCRE) and 'rollerball' electrocoagulation (RBE). These first-generation procedures are nowadays the gold standard for the hysteroscopic treatment of menorrhagia. In the 1990s different types of therapeutic alternatives were introduced. The second generation of hysteroscopic ablation techniques include: balloon heating methods, methods with intrauterine instillation of heated saline, the endometrial laser intrauterine thermal therapy procedure ELITT using a diode laser, global 3-D bipolar ablation method, punctual vaporizing methods, photodynamic endometrial ablation method, microwave endometrial ablation method, the radiofrequency method menostat and a cryotherapy method.