HYSTERECTOMY VS. HYSTEROSCOPY FOR UTERINE BLEEDING.

Physicians often resort to hysterectomy in women with dysfunctional uterine bleeding. Recently, two hysteroscopic alternatives -- laser ablation of the endometrium (LAS) and transcervical resection of the endometrium (TRE) -- have become popular but have not been evaluated thoroughly.

Investigators in Scotland randomized 204 women who normally would have had a hysterectomy to undergo hysterectomy (99 women), LAS (53), or TRE (52) for dysfunctional bleeding. The hysteroscopic procedures had identical outcomes and were thus compared with hysterectomy as a single therapy. The hysteroscopy group had fewer overall complications, less serious morbidity (1 vs. 5 percent), and a shorter median time to full recovery (2 to 4 weeks vs. 2 to 3 months).

O…