Laparoscopic adnexectomy in the management of benign-appearing ovarian masses

The only acceptable management of persistent ovarian masses is surgical excision and histological examination. Operative laparosocopy, a relatively new surgical technique, offers a less invasive surgical option for the performance of adnexectomy. During the period from February 1990 to August 1991 30 pre- and post-menopausal patients underwent laparoscopic adnexectomy in our department. The procedure was successfully performed in all 30 cases. The mean duration of the procedure was 90 min (range 40-150 min). Aside from febrile morbidity no other serious complications (surgical or anaesthetic) were encountered. The mean length of hospitalization was 1.9 days (range 1-5 days). In 17 patients unilateral adnexectomy was performed and in 13 patients the procedure was bilateral. All masses were benign on histological examination except for metastasis to the ovary in one patient with breast cancer. Operative laparoscopy is a less invasive surgical procedure, which offers definitive diagnosis in all cases and definite treatment in most.