Abstract
Objective
Ovarian tumor is reported to complicate 1% to 4 % of all pregnancies. Laparoscopic surgery is currently the gold standard for benign ovarian tumors because it is a minimally invasive procedure. However, the effects of laparoscopic surgery on the fetus from anesthesia, surgical infection, and pneumoperitoneum are unknown. This retrospective study compared operative results and pregnancy outcomes of laparoscopic and open surgeries performed for pregnancies complicated by benign ovarian tumor.
Method
This study included 59 patients (23 laparoscopy and 36 open surgery cases) with a preoperative diagnosis of benign ovarian tumor, who underwent surgery between January 1993 and December 2010. Patient characteristics, operative results, intraoperative cyst rupture rate, postoperative pathology, pregnancy outcome including fetal status at delivery were compared between laparoscopic and open surgery groups.
Results
The mean blood loss and duration of postoperative hospitalization in the laparoscopy group were 22 ± 34 mL and 6.0 ± 2.7 days, respectively, and in the open surgery group were 102 ± 99 mL and 11.6 ± 2.9 days, respectively, which were significant (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively). No significant difference was found in the mean number of weeks of gestation or the mean infant birth weight (3131 g in laparoscopy group vs 3071 g in the open surgery group including one threatened premature labor). Both groups included no fetal anomaly.
Conclusion
Laparoscopic surgery is a safe procedure for pregnancy complicated by benign ovarian tumor, providing better or comparable results with respect to adverse effects, blood loss, duration of hospitalization, cyst rupture rate, and pregnancy outcome compared with open surgery.
