Laparoscopic surgery performed in advanced pregnancy compared to early pregnancy

Purpose: The aim of our study was to assess the clinical and obstetric outcomes of laparoscopic surgeries performed during advanced pregnancy compared to those performed in early pregnancy. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed all cases of patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery during pregnancy in our institution between 1996 and 2013. Results: We reviewed cases of 117 pregnant women who underwent laparoscopic surgery during the study period. There were no conversions to laparotomy. 71 surgeries were performed in the first trimester (group 1, mean gestational age 7.7 ± 1.9 weeks) and 46 were performed in the second and third trimesters (group 2, mean gestational age 18.1 ± 4.3 weeks). More patients in group 1 underwent surgery for suspected adnexal torsion (p < 0.001), while more patients in group 2 underwent surgery for presumptive cholecystitis (p = 0.014) and persistent ovarian mass (p = 0.011). The interval between admission and surgery differed significantly between the groups and was longer in group 2 compared to group 1 (18.2 ± 24.0 vs. 6.8 ± 10.6 h, p = 0.001). No difference was found between the two groups regarding surgical complications, histopathological findings and pregnancy outcomes. Conclusion: In our experience, laparoscopic surgery in advanced pregnancy was found to be feasible and safe as in early pregnancy, without any adverse effects on pregnancy outcome.