Missed opportunities for ovarian salvage in children: an 8-year review of surgically managed ovarian lesions at a tertiary pediatric surgery centre
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Read the article on pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗Article · Sep 2021 · 1 min read
In brief
In brief
Retrospective study of 35 pediatric patients reveals that 50% of oophorectomies for adnexal torsion removed viable ovarian tissue, representing missed opportunities for fertility preservation. Pediatric and adolescent gynecology involvement was the only factor associated with ovary-sparing surgery, highlighting a training gap for pediatric surgeons in conservative management approaches.
Written by the GCMD Library team from the article.
Introduction: The aetiology and management of ovarian pathology in children differs between antenatal and postnatal lesions. However, all lesions may present acutely due to adnexal torsion. In this setting, opportunities to preserve fertility with ovary-sparing surgery (OSS) may be missed. Some studies suggest that pediatric and adolescent gynaecology (PAG) input in care is associated with OSS.
Methods: A retrospective cohort study of children undergoing surgery for ovarian pathology at a tertiary pediatric surgery centre over an 8-year period (2011-2018). Patient factors, lesion characteristics and PAG involvement were examined for association with OSS using multivariate logistic regression.
Results: Thirty-five patients with ovarian pathology managed surgically were included. Ten were infants with lesions detected antenatally; all were managed by pediatric surgeons (PS) alone at median age 2 weeks (1 day-25 weeks). Twenty-five patients presented postnatally at median age 11 (0.75-15) years. In total, there were 16 cases of adnexal torsion, each managed primarily by PS. Twelve underwent oophorectomy and six (50%) of these cases had viable ovarian tissue on histology. Furthermore, two infants with large simple cysts were similarly managed by unnecessary oophorectomy based on histology. Overall rate of OSS was 46% and PAG involvement was the only factor associated with ovarian salvage.
Conclusion: Differences in surgical management between PAGs and PS may be attributable to the different patient populations they serve. We recommend improving the knowledge of PS trainees in OSS approaches for adnexal torsion and large benign lesions.
DOI: 10.1007/s00383-021-04935-w