This information is for reference purposes only. It was current when produced and may now be outdated. Archive material is no longer maintained, and some links may not work. Persons with disabilities having difficulty accessing this information should contact us at: https://info.ahrq.gov. Let us know the nature of the problem, the Web address of what you want, and your contact information.
Please go to www.ahrq.gov for current information.
Press Release Date: October 31, 1996
The Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR) today
announced the start of three
research projects to determine the outcomes of surgery versus
other treatments for dysfunctional
uterine bleeding (DUB), as well as patient treatment preferences
for women with endometriosis,
chronic pelvic pain, fibroids, uterine prolapse or DUB.
Each year in the United States, 590,000 women have hysterectomies
for various conditions. The
majority of hysterectomies are performed before menopause, often
for abnormal uterine
bleeding. U.S. hysterectomy rates are much higher than in other
Western nations, and rates vary
by geographic region, ethnicity and socioeconomic status.
Although alternative treatments are
available, there is little data that compares these treatments to
hysterectomy, or various types of
hysterectomy to each other. This lack of information makes it
more difficult for women to
choose the best treatment option.
The following studies resulted from a "Request For Application"
issued by AHCPR March 1.
The total amount of the awards is $17.4 million over five years.
The studies are:
Surgical Treatments Outcomes Project for Dysfunctional
Uterine Bleeding. Principal
Investigator Kay Dickersin, University of Maryland at Baltimore.
Grant No. HS09506. 1996-2001.
The purpose of this study is to determine the equivalence of
two therapies for
DUB—hysterectomy and endometrial ablation—using two
randomized
controlled trials. The study will examine the natural history of
DUB, the effectiveness of
treatment and cost.
MEDTEP Study on Hysterectomy and Dysfunctional Uterine
Bleeding. Principal
Investigator Sarah E. Fowler. Case-Western/Henry Ford Health
Sciences Center, Detroit,
Mich. Grant No. HS09502. 1996-2001.
Using collaborative, multisite, randomized controlled
trials, this study will compare the
effectiveness, relative costs and patient outcomes of
hysterectomy, endometrial ablation
and hormone therapy for women with dysfunctional uterine
bleeding.
Medicine Or Surgery? Principal Investigator Stephen B.
Hulley, University of California
at San Francisco. Grant No. HS09478. 1996-2001.
The study will run two randomized controlled trials: one to
compare the effects (including
quality of life) and costs of medical therapy versus
hysterectomy; the other to compare
the effects of supracervical versus total hysterectomy on
function and well-being in
women who undergo abdominal hysterectomy. The study also will
determine rates and
patient preferences for management options for women with
diagnoses of fibroids,
dysfunctional uterine bleeding, chronic pelvic pain, endometriosis
or uterine prolapse.
For additional information contact, AHCPR Public Affairs: Karen Carp, (301) 427-1858; Karen Migdail, (301) 427-1855 ; or Salina Prasad, (301) 427-1864.
540 Gaither Road Rockville, MD 20850