First Long-Term Study Evaluating the Use of Plasma Energy to Treat Endometrioma

PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--At the 21st Annual European Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy (ESGE) Congress held in Paris, results were presented from a three-year, cohort study, titled Postoperative Recurrences and Fertility Following Endometrioma Ablation Using Plasma Energy: Retrospective Assessment of a 3-Year Experience, that retrospectively assessed postoperative ovarian endometriomas recurrence and fertility.

“The opportunity that plasma energy provides surgeons to cut or ablate, yet significantly spare, vital ovarian tissue in patients with ovarian endometriomas may lead to it being a first line surgical technique in women intending to conceive.”

The study, led by principal investigator Professor Horace Roman, M.D. PhD. Rouen University Hospital, Rouen, France included 55 patients who had unilateral or bilateral ovarian endometriomas removed by PlasmaJet® ablation. After a mean follow-up of 20 months (range 12-39 months), 67 percent of women who wished to become pregnant had conceived, 59 percent of them spontaneously. These are particularly promising results given that 75 percent of the study cohort suffered from deep infiltrating endometriosis, a condition often plagued with a poor fertility diagnosis.

The study findings were presented by Prof. Roman at the 21st Annual ESGE Congress in Paris, France on September 12, 2012. At a dedicated symposium on the subject, Prof. Roman detailed the benefits that PlasmaJet could have in surgery for patients with ovarian endometriomas, specifically those looking to conceive or wishing to preserve the option. As Prof. Roman noted, current surgical methods, such as cystectomy, often lead to the unintentional removal of ovarian tissue surrounding the cyst, depleting an already limited ovarian reserve, thus placing the patient’s fertility at further risk. According to national surveys performed by the Centers for Disease Control, each year, hundreds of thousands of women are diagnosed with painful endometriosis-related conditions in the U.S. alone, and more than 50,000 are treated surgically for endometriosis of the ovary, also referred to as an endometrioma.¹ ²

“The results of this study represent a significant step forward for women whose fertility has been threatened by ovarian endometriomas and by the deleterious consequences of endometrioma cystectomies,” said Prof. Roman. “The opportunity that plasma energy provides surgeons to cut or ablate, yet significantly spare, vital ovarian tissue in patients with ovarian endometriomas may lead to it being a first line surgical technique in women intending to conceive.”

“Over the past 20 years, the surgical management of endometriosis has not changed. Having one surgical tool that can cut, ablate or coagulate by varying the tip distance from tissue is a big advance,” said Richard P. Marvel, M.D., director of the Center for Pelvic Pain at Annapolis. “PlasmaJet represents the first major upgrade to surgical endometriosis treatment in the last decade. The energy is controlled and has a minimal effect on the underlying ovarian stroma, preserving fertility.”

“We’ve spent the last several years working closely with the clinical community, evaluating the use of electrosurgical and other tools, and together determined there was a better way to treat the tissue in and around the ovaries,” said Rick Morello, chief executive officer, Plasma Surgical. “The tissue sparing outcome resulting from PlasmaJet is ideal for this region of the human body.”

PlasmaJet is currently available for sale in the United States, United Kingdom, France, The Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Russia and Canada.

About the Annual European Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy (ESGE)

Since its foundation in 1994, the European Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy (ESGE) has aimed to encourage the exchange of clinical experience, scientific thought and investigation among European gynaecological endoscopists and practitioners in related techniques. The ESGE encourages research and evaluation of endoscopic and related techniques. The recommendation of standards of training in gynaecological endoscopy and related specialities and the cooperation with national and international affiliated societies are further important objectives. For more information, please visit http://www.esge.org/.

About Plasma Surgical

Plasma Surgical is harnessing plasma technology to make a true difference in the way surgical and therapeutic care is delivered to patients. The company’s flagship device, the PlasmaJet® system, is an advanced energy device for open and laparoscopic surgical procedures. Designed for precise cutting, coagulation and ablation of tissue, PlasmaJet offers surgeons an effective solution to treat structures carefully, especially when tissue preservation and reduction of thermal spread are essential for the patient. Founded on world-class research in plasma physics in 1999, the company is headquartered in Atlanta and has offices in the United Kingdom and France. For more information, please visit www.plasmasurgical.com.

¹ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Center for Health Statistics, “National Hospital Discharge Survey,” 2008

² Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Center for Health Statistics, “National Survey of Ambulatory Surgery,” 2006