Ovarian fibroma in the era of laparoscopic surgery: a general surgeon's experience

The ovarian fibroma is a rare benign tumor originating from the connective tissue of the ovarian cortex. On occasion, the general surgeon may encounter ovarian fibroma while operating an acute abdomen. We present a series of 15 ovarian fibromas encountered in 13 patients over 11 years experience in our general surgical ward. Only four cases required emergency operations due to either tumors or adnexal torsion. High-resolution ultrasound scan with color Doppler suggested an ovarian fibroma in only ten cases, while CT and MRI were suggestive for the diagnosis in three other cases. Surgical treatment consisted of five ovarectomies, three adnexal resections and five total hysterectomies with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. Seven patients underwent laparoscopic surgery, four of them for an ovarian resection and in three for an adnexectomy. Laparoscopic approach has significant advantages by limiting parietal aggression with better cosmetic results, short hospital admission, lower costs, few postoperative adhesions and rapid recovery.