Uterine abscess formation secondary to endometrial cryosurgery

At Beth Israel Hospital in Boston a complication occurred in cryosurgery of the endometrium. The patient a 45-year-old multipara at first underwent cryosurgery rather than hysterectomy because of her prolonged history of episodic cardiac failure. Endometrial biopsy and curettage had revealed adenomatous hyperplasia and cryosurgery was selected to destroy the entire endometrium and thus control uterine bleeding. Cryosurgery did indeed destroy the endometrium in its entirety. However the patient developed an abscess in the right cornual region and eventually underwent total hysterectomy. Inability to determine or control the depth of freezing appears to be a serious drawback in cryosurgery of the endometrium. Until better control is achieved cryosurgery must be considered other than innocuous.