Litigation involving laparoscopic morcellators continues to grow in our nation’s federal courts. Plaintiffs allege that they were not sufficiently warned that the devices could spread undetected cancer cells during fibroid removal surgery and/or hysterectomy. The Wall Street Journal reports that the first power morcellator cancer settlement has been reached between... Read more »

A request has been submitted to centralize the growing number of power morcellator lawsuits that have been filed in federal courts across the country. The request was submitted by six of the 22 plaintiffs that have already filed lawsuits alleging use of the power morcellators during a hysterectomy or myomectomy... Read more »

A woman who has experienced catastrophic side effects after power morcellation was used during her 2013 hysterectomy has received support from some federal lawmakers. At the time of her surgery, Dr. Amy Reed unknowingly had uterine cancer that was spread throughout her body by the morcellator. Although Reed chose not to... Read more »

A South Carolina man has filed a morcellator cancer lawsuit against Karl Storz Endoscopy-America, Inc., on behalf of his deceased mother. Michael Watkins believes his mother, Enid Watkins died an untimely death as a result of a hysterectomy using morcellation. On May 5, 2011, Enid Watkins underwent a supracervical hysterectomy and... Read more »

The first hysterectomy morcellation lawsuit filed in Pennsylvania has been scheduled for trial in November 2015. The complaint, which marked the first of dozens involving power morcellators, was filed by a husband on behalf of his deceased wife. According to the plaintiff, his wife died after a power morcellator used... Read more »

UnitedHealth Group, the country’s largest health insurance provider recently issued new rules requiring doctors to obtain authorization prior to using a power morcellator to perform a hysterectomy, as morcellation has been linked to spreading cancer in some women. Starting in April, doctors will need to seek approval from the insurance... Read more »

The power morcellator is a small surgical tool commonly employed in routine gynecological procedures such as fibroid tumor removal (myomectomy) and hysterectomies. Used in laparoscopic or key-hole surgeries, the instrument enables surgeons to break down tissue, allowing for easy extraction and a faster recovery. Recent studies on power morcellation during gynecological... Read more »

A Michigan woman has filed a morcellator cancer lawsuit against a medical supply company. Denise Whitfield claims the use of a power morcellator sold by Karl Storz Endoscopy caused her to suffer serious injuries, including metastasized Stage 4 bone and breast cancer. “She must undergo extensive and difficult treatments for... Read more »

Researchers from Kaiser Permanente have confirmed there is no way for doctors to spot uterine sarcoma before performing a laparoscopic hysterectomy or myomectomy with morcellation. As a result, morcellation may spread cancer throughout the abdomen. On December 11, the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology published the report examining the... Read more »

Citing the link between power morcellation and the risk of spreading cancer, The Johns Hopkins University has adopted a new protocol regarding the use of the surgical tool in uterine surgery. Surgeons will not use the power morcellator tool at all during hysterectomy or myomectomy (surgery to remove uterine fibroids)... Read more »