Laparoscopy versus open surgery for the surgical management of tubo-ovarian abscess (TOA). Is there a beneficial impact of early endoscopic intervention in terms of fertility rates?

Abstract

To compare success rates and complications in women undergoing laparoscopic versus open surgical management of tubo-ovarian abscess. We further examined whether early laparoscopic intervention has any impact on pregnancy rates in a subgroup of infertile patients following frozen-thawed embryo transfer. Hospital records of 48 patients diagnosed with TOA between January 2015 and December 2020, who underwent surgical intervention or received only medical treatment were analyzed. All patients were hospitalized, and parenteral antibiotics were commenced on admission initially. Laparoscopic or open surgery was performed within 48 hours course of intravenous antibiotherapy (early intervention) or later according to the clinical findings and antibiotherapy response. Of 48 patients with TOA, 18 (37.5%) underwent laparoscopic and 30 (62.5%) underwent open surgical intervention. The median postoperative hospital stay was shorter (4.5 days vs 7.5 days, respectively; p = 0.035), and postoperative opioid analgesic requirement was lesser in the laparoscopy group compared to open surgery group (22% vs 53%, respectively; p = 0.034). Intra- and post-operative complication rates were similar between the groups. Of these 48 patients, seven were diagnosed to have TOA following oocyte retrieval, and four of these conceived with frozen thawed embryo transfer all of whom underwent laparoscopic surgery within 48 hours of diagnosis. Minimal invasive surgery should be preferred even in the presence of severely adhesive and inflammatory TOA in order to improve postoperative outcomes. Moreover, early laparoscopic intervention may be considered in infertile patients with an aim to optimize pregnancy rates in a subsequent frozen-thawed embryo transfer.