Management of Adnexal Torsion: A 13-Year Experience in Single Tertiary Center

Adnexal torsion constitutes 2.7% of gynecological emergencies, it is more frequently seen in reproductive age. Delay in diagnosis and treatment may lead to loss of the ovary. In this study, we aimed to assess patients who had adnexal torsion and compare laparoscopy with laparotomy in the treatment of these patients and point the most appropriate surgery according to age groups of the patients and comparison of patient characteristics and management between adnexal torsion in postmenopausal and premenopausal patients.

This study was carried out in Necmettin Erbakan University, Meram Medicine Faculty, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. The study retrospectively analyzed 380 patients presented to our clinic with abdominal pain between January 2005 and December 2017 and had surgery for adnexal torsion.

The study included 380 patients who had surgery for adnexal torsion. A total of 220 patients had laparoscopy and 160 patients had laparotomy. Laparoscopy group consisted of young patients with low parity, whereas laparotomy group consisted of 160 patients of which 92 (57.5%) were in menopause. Teratomas were the most common pathological finding followed by follicular cysts. Fourteen ovarian malignancies and 11 borderline tumors had been reported. Eleven ovarian malignancies had been reported in postmenopausal patients and three in premenopausal patients.

Laparoscopic surgery is preferred for young patients who want to preserve their fertility, but postmenopausal ovarian masses presenting with torsion should be analyzed with frozen section whenever possible, if not possible or not conclusive, staging surgery is more appropriate especially if there is suspicion of malignancy.