Optimal Management of Ovarian Cysts Presenting in the Neonate and Patients Over 1-Year-Old

Abstract

Purpose and Method : The detection of neonatal ovarian cyst has increased since the introduction of routine prenatal ultrasonography. We reviewed six neonates and seven infants older than one-year-old with ovarian cystic lesions at the authors' institution between 1995 and 2001. Result : There is no consensus concerning optimal management. For neonatal ovarian cyst, monthly repeated ultrasound examination is necessary to monitor the size. We have advocated ultrasound-guided aspiration for simple neonatal ovarian cyst. All cysts disappeared in less than ten months. On the other hand, we recommended laparoscopic treatment for the complicated cysts with echoes that produced a solid mass appearance. Complicated cysts included ovarian torsion, mature teratoma and cystic adenoma in infants over one-year-old. Conclusion : We have described a conservative approach for neonates. Minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery provides a safe, definitive treatment for infantile ovarian cysts in patients over one-year-old.