Four cases of laparoscopic ovarian cystectomy at 16 to 18 weeks of pregnancy

Abstract

 The application of laparoscopic surgery in pregnant woman is currently increasing. Many case reports attest to the safety of laparoscopic surgery over laparotomy during pregnancy. In most cases, laparoscopic surgery is performed within 12 to 16 weeks of pregnancy, and in some rare cases, it may be performed at a later gestational age. We report four pregnant women who underwent laparoscopic ovarian cystectomy at 16 to 18 weeks of gestation. The tumor diameters ranged from 7.5 to 9 cm. Pathological diagnosis was mature cystic teratoma in three and serous cystadenoma in one. Operation times ranged from 157 to 232 minutes, with longer times for operations performed at a later gestational age. No intraoperative or postoperative maternal or fetal complications occurred. As the uterus is enlarged during pregnancy, the trocar sites should be placed on the umbilicus and at a more cephalad level on the same side of the tumor. Laparoscopic surgery can be performed safely at 16 or more weeks of pregnancy.