Gynaecological procedure defended

A CONSULTANT at the National Maternity Hospital in Dublin has called for an end to “inaccurate and irresponsible” information about certain gynaecological operations which were carried out in this country.

The operations, known as symphysiotomies, involved sawing through the ligaments of a woman’s pubic bone to allow safe delivery. The procedure was carried out here until the 1980s.

Dr Peter Boylan, the former Master of the hospital, said it appeared that someone in a position of responsibility was “seriously misleading the women by either suppressing or ignoring the evidence”.

According to the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, the rate of long-term complications such as backache, infertility and leg pain are the same for both symphysiotomies and Caesarean sections.

However, the death of the mother is six times more frequent with a Caesarean and the need for blood transfusion is twice as common.

Mr Boylan sent this review to the Survivors of Symphysiotomy (SOS) group, which was set up last year to help women who had been affected by the operation.

He said he had received no reply and was concerned that survivors were receiving legal advice rather than the correct medical information.

“It’s completely untrue to say that these operations are barbaric, and the women involved are not going to be helped by this sort of approach. What do lawyers know about this? The women will end up paying huge legal fees,” he said.

The number of women involved is unknown, but 349 operations were carried out in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda.

At the time, Catholic doctors often performed the operations instead of Caesareans, believing that it would allow the women to continue having children.

According to testimonies received by SOS, many of the mothers involved were operated on without anaesthetic and without consent.

One woman was physically held down by staff while the doctor carried out the operation. She was in labour for 52 hours and suffers from incontinence and a distended stomach to this day.

The National Women’s Council, which helped launch the SOS group, said it had received the review posted by Mr Boylan.

“He is right that symphysiotomy is a viable method. But the way it was carried out in some of the cases was barbaric. No-one has ever taken responsibility for what’s happened to the women,” said director Joanne McMinn.

The SOS group said that the women involved were barred from taking legal action but wanted answers. A report is being compiled for the Department of Health by the Institute of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.