Francis L. Hutchins, MD

Whenever I think about women's health delivery I am struck with apparent confusion of roles that currently exists among the various providers. To understand this problem a review of the dramatic events in women's health in the 20th century is necessary.

One of my favorite professors in medical school was fond of saying “There is nothing so constant in medicine as variation.” From my perspective, more than 25 years in clinical medicine, there is nothing so constant in medicine as change. At times the rate at which this change goes on is quite amazing. This can especially be said for the treatment of uterine fibroids over the last 100 years.

Have you ever noticed how easily misinformation develops and how eagerly it is spread by the ill informed? Of late I have heard and read all manner of seemingly authoritative pronouncements on uterine artery embolization (UAE) for the management of uterine myomas. I even saw an "authority" recently on OPRAH stating that UAE was experimental and not useful for tumors larger 4 cms.

I find myself frequently contemplating what the treatment for fibroids will look like in the future. There continues to be an explosion of both knowledge and technology that has left me with the firm conviction that in just a few years when one says "fibroid" the automatic word association will no longer be "hysterectomy".

OBGYN.net Conference CoverageFrom World Congress on Gynecologic Endoscopy and The 1st Annual Meeting of the Israel Society of Gynecological Endoscopy, 2000