Cost-utility of levonorgestrel intrauterine system compared with hysterectomy and second generation endometrial ablative techniques in managing patients with menorrhagia in the UK

John P. Clegg, Julian F. Guest, Ritva Hurskainen
In: Current Medical Research and Opinion · 2007 · vol. 23(7) , pp. 1637–1648 · doi:10.1185/030079907x199709 · PMID:17559758 · W2159787422
article OA: closed CC0 ⤵ 8 in-corpus citations
View on OpenAlex View on PubMed View at publisher
⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-07 ⓘ

A Markov model estimated that levonorgestrel intrauterine system followed by ablation offers the NHS a cost-effective treatment for menorrhagia compared to immediate surgery, with comparable health gains.

One-sentence paraphrase of the abstract; not a substitute for reading it. No clinical advice. How this works

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the cost-utility of levonorgestrel intrauterine system (LNG-IUS; Mirena) compared to second generation endometrial ablative techniques [i.e. microwave endometrial ablation (MEA) and thermal balloon endometrial ablation (TBEA)) and hysterectomy in the UK. METHODS: Clinical and utility data from a 5-year randomised controlled trial comparing LNG-IUS with hysterectomy were combined with further data from published studies to construct a state-transition (Markov) model. The model depicted the movement of patients between health states over 5 years following treatment for menorrhagia. The model was used to estimate the cost-utility of LNG-IUS followed by ablation (L-A); LNG-IUS followed by hysterectomy (L-H); immediate ablation (MEA or TBEA) and immediate hysterectomy in the UK at 2004/2005 prices, from the perspective of the UK's National Health Service (NHS). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES AND RESULTS: The expected 5-yearly cost of treating menorrhagia with L-A, L-H, TBEA, MEA and hysterectomy was estimated to be 828 pounds sterling, 1355 pounds sterling, 1679 pounds sterling, 1812 pounds sterling and 2983 pounds sterling per patient respectively and the expected level of health gain to be 4.14, 4.12, 4.13, 4.13 and 4.01 QALYs per patient respectively. LNG-IUS followed by ablation dominated all the alternative treatments. Hysterectomy was dominated by the alternative treatments. Sensitivity analysis found the model to be sensitive to the quality of life data used. CONCLUSION: Within the model's limitations, LNGIUS followed by ablation appears to offer the NHS a cost-effective treatment for menorrhagia, when compared to immediate surgery, affording the NHS a less expensive treatment modality without detrimental effects on resulting health gain.

My notes (saved in your browser only)

Citation neighborhood

Papers in the corpus that this work cites (lower rings, blue) and that cite this one (upper rings, green). Dot size scales with the paper's in-corpus citation count — bigger dot = more influential within the endo/adeno field. Click a dot to open that paper. [ expand to 2 hops ] — adds papers reached through this work's immediate citers/citees. Heavier; up to 60 extra dots.

References (30)

Cited by (8)

Source provenance

openalex
last seen: 2026-05-11T05:58:56.137231+00:00
unpaywall
last seen: 2026-06-02T02:00:03.124865+00:00
License: CC0 · commercial use OK