Evaluation of adhesion reformation by early second-look laparoscopy following microlaser ovarian wedge resection

Abstract

Early second-look laparoscopy, done 6 to 12 weeks postoperatively, was utilized to evaluate recurrent adhesion formation following microlaser ovarian wedge resection. Forty-nine ovaries in 25 consecutive infertility patients undergoing microlaser surgery for deep ovarian endometriosis or polycystic ovarian disease, refractory to medical treatment, were evaluated from October 1981 through March 1983. All patients subsequently underwent a second-look nonlaser laparoscopy to evaluate the extent of healing and to bluntly lyse any subsequent adhesions with the Olympus laparoscope (Olympus Corporation, Lake Success, NY) second-puncture probe: 36.7% of the ovaries had recurring adhesions, 83.3% of these adhesions were mild and filmy and 16.7% were moderate and dense. Additionally, four ovaries were viewed approximately 1 year postoperatively, with two ovaries that previously had mild and filmy adhesions lysed at 6 weeks having no recurrent adhesions. The actual pregnancy rate in this study is 60%, with 15 of the 25 patients conceiving at least once and 2 patients conceiving twice. The majority of pregnancies occurred within the first 6 months postoperatively, with the longest initial pregnancy occurring 22 months postoperatively. Thus, microlaser ovarian surgery, coupled with early second-look laparoscopy, appears efficacious in minimizing adhesion reformation and seems to have little adverse effect on subsequent conception.