Adenomyosis is a condition in which the myometrium is infiltrated by endometrial glands and stroma. This results in myometrial hyperplasia, uterine enlargement and causes menorrhagia, dysmenorrhoea and dyspareunia for which there is no known cure other than hysterectomy. The success of LITT in the treatment of uterine leiomyomata suggested that this might also be effective for the treatment of adenomyosis. Initially LITT was carried out on patients with adenomyosis prior to hysterectomy, then on patients who had completed child-bearing and finally on those who desired a family. Not only were symptoms relieved but pregnancies occurred spontaneously. The KTP 532 nm component of the KTP/YAG laser, which is absorbed by red pigment, was used with a 600 micrometer fiber with a bare tip via a needle microstat at laparoscopy. Holes were drilled in the abnormal tissue 3 cm apart and the laser fiber then slowly withdrawn, the object being to coagulate the surrounding blood vessels and adenomyotic tissue. The number of joules required depended on the volume of tissue treated.

Date Published: 22 May 1997
PDF: 7 pages
Proc. SPIE 2970, Lasers in Surgery: Advanced Characterization, Therapeutics, and Systems VII, (22 May 1997); doi: 10.1117/12.275090

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 2970:
Lasers in Surgery: Advanced Characterization, Therapeutics, and Systems VII
R. Rox Anderson M.D.; Harvey Lui M.D.; Michail M. Pankratov; Kenneth Eugene Bartels D.V.M.; Gerhard J. Mueller; Graham M. Watson M.D.; Reza S. Malek M.D.; Lawrence S. Bass M.D.; Lloyd P. Tate V.D.M.; Hans-Dieter Reidenbach; Kenneth Eugene Bartels D.V.M.; R. Rox Anderson M.D.; Lawrence S. Bass M.D.; Aaron P. Perlmutter M.D.; Kenton W. Gregory M.D.; David M. Harris; David M. Harris; Harvey Lui M.D.; Reza S. Malek M.D.; Gerhard J. Mueller; Michail M. Pankratov; Aaron P. Perlmutter M.D.; Hans-Dieter Reidenbach; Lloyd P. Tate V.D.M.; Graham M. Watson M.D., Editor(s)