Ovarian reserve and recurrence 1 year post-operatively after using haemostatic sealant and bipolar diathermy for haemostasis during laparoscopic ovarian cystectomy
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin New Territories, Hong Kong SAR. Electronic address: jacquelinechung@cuhk.edu.hk. Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin New Territories, Hong Kong SAR.
RESEARCH QUESTION Is there a difference in the ovarian reserve 1 year post-operatively in those who used a haemostatic sealant or bipolar diathermy for haemostasis during laparoscopic ovarian cystectomy for ovarian endometriomas? DESIGN This was an extended follow-up observational study of a previous randomized controlled trial where women aged 18 to 40 years with 3-8 cm unilateral or bilateral endometriomas
were randomized to receive haemostasis by a haemostatic sealant or bipolar diathermy following ovarian cystectomy. The primary outcome was the ovarian reserve as assessed by antral follicle count (AFC) 1 year post-operatively. Secondary outcomes included the recurrence rate of ovarian endometrioma, the change in anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) and FSH concentrations, and reproductive outcomes. RESULTS The significant increase in AFC at 3 months after initial surgery (P = 0.025) in the haemostatic sealant group compared with the diathermy group was sustained at 1 year (P = 0.024) but there was no difference in AMH or FSH concentrations between the groups throughout the follow-up period. The recurrence rate in the FloSeal group was 7.7% (n = 3/39) compared with 22.2% (n = 8/36) in the diathermy group (P = 0.060). The recurrence rate in women who had bilateral lesions was significantly higher than those with unilateral lesions (risk ratio 5.33, interquartile range 1.55-18.38). No difference in reproductive outcomes was found between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS Applying haemostatic sealant after laparoscopic cystectomy of ovarian endometriomas produces a significantly greater improvement in AFC, which was apparent at 3-month follow-up, and was sustained at 1-year follow-up without compromising the recurrence rate.
