Proposed Protocol for Objective Morcellator Analysis

Abstract

In literature, little comparison data are available among various morcellators, which are used to remove large tissue masses minimal invasively. Since a range of morcellators is available on the market, and their use is fairly common, it is important to know whether the devices perform optimally, or if one is more efficient than another, regardless of what the industry claims. To this purpose, a literature research was performed in a companion study to find and compare all previous, current and experimental morcellators. However, due to the lack of a standard in literature to which morcellators are tested, there is little unity in the method of reporting morcellation functionality, which makes a comparison between morcellators difficult. For this reason, a data gathering protocol is suggested to function as a tool to obtain all relevant morcellator related data. This helps surgeons to more objectively assess their morcellation procedures, compare obtained data to statements made by the manufacturers with respect to morcellation speed, and improve future in-literature morcellator data reporting.