Feasibility and Safety of Laparoscopic Surgery in Large Ovarian Masses

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the feasibility and safety of laparoscopic surgery for large ovarian masses with benign features. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Women who underwent laparoscopic surgery for an ovarian mass with benign features between 2017 and 2019 at a tertiary referral center were included in the retrospective study. Based on the size of the ovarian mass, the women were divided into the case and control groups of ≥10 cm and <10 cm, respectively. Clinical characteristics, operative findings, histopathological results, and complication rates of the groups were compared. RESULTS: A total of 260 women, 64 women with large masses and 196 with small masses were included in the study. The operation time, intraoperative cyst rupture rate, complication rate, and hospital stay were similar in the case and control groups (P > 0.05). The cyst aspiration rate (29.7% vs. 5.1%, P < 0.001) and the unexpected malignancy rate (7.8% vs. 0.0% P = 0.001) were significantly higher in the case group than in the control group. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic surgery was found feasible for the treatment of women with large ovarian masses. However, a higher unexpected malignancy rate requires the careful patient selection and appropriate counseling preoperatively in these cases.