Jean Luc Pouly

Conservative laparoscopic treatment of 321 ectopic pregnancies

From 1974 to 1984, 321 tubal pregnancies were treated conservatively with laparoscopic techniques. Fifteen cases (4.8%) required a subsequent laparotomy or second laparoscopic procedure because of retained trophoblastic tissue. Of 118 patients desiring subsequent pregnancy, 76 had an intrauterine pregnancy (64.4%) and 26 had a second ectopic pregnancy (22%). Eleven of 24 (45.8%) women attempting conception following conservative laparoscopic removal of an ectopic gestation from the sole remaining fallopian tube established an intrauterine pregnancy. In this same group, seven patients (29.2%) had a second ectopic pregnancy. The fertility results were also analyzed according to the previous history. The postoperative intrauterine pregnancy rate was 85.5% among 62 patients without a history of infertility (group I), compared with 41.1% among 56 patients with a history of infertility or a previous ectopic pregnancy (group II). The subsequent ectopic pregnancy rate in group I was 16.1% versus 28.6% in group II. This large series clearly demonstrates the relative safety and efficacy of conservative laparoscopic treatment of tubal pregnancies.

Treatment of ectopic pregnancy by means of laparoscopy.

Sixty cases of ectopic pregnancy were treated by laparoscopy without laparotomy. In each case, one of two techniques was used-tubal aspiration or salpingotomy-in conjunction with aspiration of the conceptus and peritoneal rinsing. Of these 60 cases, only 3 were failures. Twenty-five women later desired pregnancy, and 18 conceived. The operated fallopian tube was checked in 18 cases and in 13 of these was found to be patent. A laparoscopic film has been made to illustrate this new technique.

Second-look laparoscopy after laparoscopic cystectomy of large ovarian endometriomas

Forty-two patients who underwent a second-look laparoscopy after a unilateral or bilateral intraperitoneal cystectomy for treatment of an ovarian endometrioma of greater than 3 cm were included. At second-look laparoscopy, 92.4% of the adnexae treated for a large endometrioma had no deep ovarian endometriosis. Adhesion de novo formation occurred in 21% of the treated adnexae and in 17% of the contralateral adnexae. Complete or partial recurrence of dense adhesions occurred in 82% of the cases. Laparoscopic cystectomy is effective in treating large endometriomas. However, operative difficulties may be encountered, explaining persistent endometriomas and postoperative adhesions.

Laparoscopic management of adnexal masses: a gold standard?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW To review recent literature on the laparoscopic management of adnexal masses, when this approach may be considered as a gold standard. RECENT FINDINGS Cyst rupture was recently demonstrated to be a significant prognostic factor in stage I invasive epithelial carcinoma, and it was recommended to restrict the laparoscopic approach to patients with preoperative evidence that the cyst was benign. The laparoscopic approach is still highly controversial in masses suspicious at ultrasound. The limits of the laparoscopic approach are discussed reviewing recent literature and our experience. The laparoscopic management of adnexal masses appears to be safe in most hospitals even in developing countries. This approach is being used with increasing frequency in unusual indications such as newborns, children, adolescents and pregnant women. The learning curve for endoscopic surgery appears to be longer than expected. Many patients with benign adnexal masses, such as ovarian endometrioma, are still treated by laparotomy or with an inadequate endoscopic technique. Several studies have suggested that the stripping technique is a tissue-sparing procedure. SUMMARY The laparoscopic puncture of malignant ovarian tumours confined to the ovaries is uncommon, and should be avoided whenever possible. The teaching of endoscopy is essential to promote adequate procedures performed according to the principles of microsurgery and to preserve postoperative ovarian physiology.

Laparoscopic management of adnexal masses suspicious at ultrasound

Objective To evaluate the laparoscopic management of adnexal masses suspicious at ultrasound. Methods In a prospective study, adnexal masses suspicious at ultrasound were managed by laparoscopy. Indications for laparotomy included general contraindications to laparoscopy, obviously disseminated ovarian cancer, and technically impossible laparoscopic treatment. After laparoscopic diagnosis, frozen sections were used to confirm a diagnosis of malignancy. Treatment was performed by laparoscopy whenever feasible. Results Over a 3-year period, 247 of the 599 adnexal masses (41.2%) treated in our department were suspicious or solid at ultrasound. Seventeen patients were evaluated by laparotomy and 230 by laparoscopy. Overall, 204 women (82.6%) were treated by laparoscopy, including seven of the 37 malignant tumors (18.9%) and 197 of the 210 benign masses (93.8%). One case of tumor dissemination occurred after a laparoscopic adnexectomy and morcellation of a grade 1 immature teratoma. Conclusion Laparoscopic diagnosis of adnexal masses suspicious at ultrasound avoids many laparotomies for the treatment of benign masses and allows an improved inspection of the upper abdomen. The laparoscopic treatment of adnexal masses suspicious at surgery should be evaluated further in carefully designed prospective studies.

Laparoscopic distal tuboplasty: report of 87 cases and a 4-year experience.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate fertility results after laparoscopic distal tuboplasty and to compare these results with those obtained previously with microsurgery. DESIGN Retrospective, nonrandomized. SETTING Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University Hospital of Clermont-Ferrand, France. PATIENTS All the distal tuboplasties performed between October 1985 and June 1989 were included. Adnexal damage was assessed using tubal and adhesions scoring systems described previously. Tuboplasty was carried out bilaterally except when one tube was absent or severely damaged (tubal stage III or IV and/or with severe adhesions). Patients with bilateral severe adnexal damages were treated only if they refused to undergo in vitro fertilization. Laparoscopic tuboplasty was performed either with the CO2 laser or with conventional instruments. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Fertility after laparoscopic treatment was evaluated using simple and cumulative pregnancy rates (PRs) according to the adnexal damage and compared with the microsurgical results using PRs according to the adnexal damage. RESULTS The overall intrauterine and extrauterine PRs were 33.3% and 6.9%, respectively. Twenty-six of the 29 intrauterine pregnancies were obtained within the 1st postoperative year. According to tubal and adhesion stages, the results of laparoscopic distal tuboplasty are similar to those obtained using microsurgery. CONCLUSION We conclude that laparoscopic distal tuboplasty, when performed by experienced surgical laparoscopists, represents an effective alternative to microsurgery.

3 Laparoscopic radical hysterectomy for cervical cancer

Summary A laparoscopic approach for radical hysterectomy is described. The laparoscopic procedures are similar to those achieved previously by laparotomy, the extent of surgery being adapted to the volume of the tumour and to the associated treatments. From the results obtained in a preliminary study of 15 patients, this approach appears to be safe. This surgical treatment of cervical cancer which associates a radical procedure complying with oncological rules with a decreased morbidity seems very promising. However, laparoscopic radical hysterectomy should be considered investigational and reserved for oncology surgeons trained in extensive laparoscopic procedures. Large studies with long follow-up are necessary before this approach can be proposed as an alternative to conventional surgical approaches.

Risk of spread of ovarian cancer after laparoscopic surgery.

The incidence of the spread of ovarian cancer after laparoscopic surgery is difficult to establish from the current literature. The prognosis incidence of a trocar site metastasis without peritoneal dissemination is not known. Data from general surgeons in prospective studies from a single institution suggested that in colon cancer the risk is low, whereas it seems to be much higher in multicentric studies of undiagnosed gallbladder cancer. Experimental studies suggested that laparoscopy has advantages and disadvantages. However, the risk of dissemination is high when a large number of malignant cells and a carbon dioxide pneumoperitoneum are present, a situation encountered when managing adnexal tumours with large vegetations. Animal studies will allow the development of a peritoneal environment adapted to the treatment of cancer. The ovary is an intraperitoneal organ and ovarian cancer a peritoneal disease, so the risk of peritoneal spread may be higher in ovarian cancer than in other gynecological cancers. A careful preoperative evaluation appears to be the best way to prevent these risks. It should also be used to choose which patient should be operated by which surgical team. The second step is a careful and cautious laparoscopic diagnosis, so that more than 98% of ovarian cancers encountered can be treated immediately and effectively. The laparoscopic management of ovarian cancer remains controversial; it should be performed only in prospective clinical trials. Until the results of such studies become available, an immediate vertical midline laparotomy remains the gold standard if a cancer is encountered.

Frozen Section in Laparoscopic Management of Macroscopically Suspicious Ovarian Masses

STUDY OBJECTIVE To study the usefulness of and applications for frozen section in the laparoscopic management of adnexal masses. DESIGN Historical prospective study (Canadian Task Force classification II-3). SETTING Large tertiary care hospital with university affiliation. PATIENTS One hundred forty-one women undergoing laparoscopy for a suspicious adnexal mass. INTERVENTION Adnexal masses suspicious on ultrasound were managed by laparoscopy. After laparoscopic diagnosis, frozen sections were used to confirm a diagnosis of malignancy. Treatment was performed by laparoscopy whenever feasible. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS The results of frozen section were compared with the results of permanent sections, and the consequences of the intraoperative diagnosis on the surgical management were evaluated. The frozen section diagnosis was correct in 125 of the 141 patients (88.7%). In one patient, the result was false negative. Specifically, frozen section diagnosis was correct in 96.8% of cases when a cyst or biopsy was sent for pathologic examination and in 86.4% when the whole adnexa was sent. It was correct in 93% of the cases involving tumors smaller than 100 mm and in 74% of larger tumors. It was correct in 92.3% of the women younger than 50 years and in 81.6% of women older than age 50. Intraoperative pathologic diagnosis was correct in 95.5% of benign tumors, 77.8% of low-malignancy tumors, and 75% of cancer cases. CONCLUSION Frozen section is a useful examination for surgical management decision making; however, the limitations and the difficulties should be taken into account.

Incidence of bilateral adnexal disease in severe endometriosis (revised American Fertility Society [AFS], stage IV): should a stage V be included in the AFS classification?*

Studying the incidence of bilateral adnexal disease and dense adhesions, two groups of patients with severe endometriosis were distinguished, suggesting that a stage V needs to be considered in the AFS classification.