Novel technique of extracorporeal intrauterine morcellation after total laparoscopic hysterectomy: Three emblematic case reports

BACKGROUND In the presence of a large uterus,total laparoscopic hysterectomy(TLH),always requires morcellation to allow removal of the tissues from the abdominal cavity.However,uncontained morcellation has been scrutinized because of the possible spread of occult leiomyosarcoma.Therefore,in-bag extracorporeal morcellation has been developed.However,tissue containment and extraction are extremely challenging,especially when considering the increasing uterine size to be removed through minimally invasive surgery.CASE SUMMARY Herein,we describe a novel technique for extracorporeal intrauterine morcellation using the uterus outermost layer as a bag to achieve tissue extraction of very large uteri with suspected occult leiomyosarcoma after TLH.The study enrolled patients who were planned for TLH for large uteri(weight>500 g).TLH was performed following the procedure reported in our previous studies.The novel technique has been described step-by-step in a video,which representatively describes the preoperative imaging and morcellation procedure of three very large uteri weighing 1500 g,1700 g,and 3700 g,respectively.The procedures were performed without any complications.The patients had an uneventful postoperative course,and in all cases,the pathology was benign leiomyoma.CONCLUSION Extracorporeal intrauterine morcellation using the uterus outmost layer as a bag was found to be a feasible technique that allows a careful diagnosis and safe removal of suspected occult malignancies.The technique herein presented may be adopted in surgical practice,by adding it to the other available techniques of contained morcellation.It may represent a valid and feasible alternative,especially useful in cases of very large uteri exceeding the capacity of specimen retrieval bags.

Atypical endometrial hyperplasia in a 35-year-old woman:A case report and literature review

BACKGROUND Atypical endometrial hyperplasia(AEH)is a common precancerous lesion of endometrial carcinoma(EC).The risk factors for AEH and EC directly or indirectly related to estrogen exposure include early menarche,nulliparity,polycystic ovarian syndrome,diabetes,and obesity.Both AEH and EC rarely occur in young patients(<40-years-old),who may desire to maintain their fertility.Evaluating the cancer risk of AEH patients is helpful for the determination of therapeutic plans.CASE SUMMARY We report a rare case of AEH in a 35-year-old woman who presented to the Hunan Provincial Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital with a large mass in the uterus.She married at 20-years-old,and had been married for more than 15 years to date.Several characteristics of this patient were observed,including nulliparity,limited sexual activity(intercourse 1-2 times a year)in recent years,and irregular vaginal bleeding for 2 years.Gynecological examination revealed an enlarged uterus,similar to the uterus size in the fourth month of pregnancy,and the uterine wall was relatively hard.Curettage was performed based on transvaginal sonography and magnetic resonance imaging results.Findings from the pathological examination were typical for AEH.The patient was cured after treatment with the standard therapy of high-dose progesterone.CONCLUSION In patients with intrauterine lumps that may be malignant,a pathological report should be obtained.