Ovarian transposition for the preservation of ovarian function in young patients with cervical carcinoma

Radiotherapy with or without surgery for the treatment of pelvic malignancies irreversibly destroys the hormonal activity and reproductive capacity of ovaries in young women. On the other hand, menopausal symptoms associated with estrogen deficiency is an important contributor to the poor quality of life scores in gynecologic cancer survivors. Transposing of the ovaries into the paracolic gutters (ovarian transposition) was described in 1958 with the aim of protecting gonadal functions in reproductive-aged women treated by pelvic radiotherapy and/or surgery. Although the laparatomic approach has been used as a parallel to development in endoscopic surgery, today it is generally performed laparoscopically. However, there is ongoing debate about the effectiveness of ovarian tranposition with respect to protecting gonadal functions. Moreover, metastasis to the transposed ovaries and port sites is another concern about this procedure. In this short review, indications, techniques and functional outcomes of ovarian transposition have been summarized.