Factors Associated With Operatively Confirmed Adnexal Torsion Among Pregnant Women - A Multicenter Cohort Study

The aim of this study was to investigate the association of clinical, laboratory, and ultrasound findings with the surgical diagnosis of adnexal torsion in a retrospective cohort of women operated for suspected torsion during pregnancy.

A multicenter retrospective study of pregnant women who underwent urgent laparoscopy for suspected adnexal torsion during 2004-2019 in three tertiary medical centers.

Adnexal torsion was found in 143/208 (68.8 %) cases. Women with adnexal torsion had lower parity and lower rates of previous cesarean section, but higher rates of fertility treatments and multiple gestations, and were more likely to report right lower abdominal pain, with shorter duration of symptoms (< 24 hrs) and vomiting but not nausea. Women with adnexal torsion were found to have higher rates of sonographic findings suggestive of ovarian edema, while normal-appearing ovaries on ultrasound were more common in women without torsion. A multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that complaints of right abdominal pain were positively associated with adnexal torsion (aOR [95 % CI] 5.03 (1.45-17.49), while previous cesarean delivery and ultrasound findings of normal-appearing ovaries were negatively associated with adnexal torsion (aOR of 0.17 (0.05-0.52) and 0.10 (0.02-0.43), respectively).

Clinical characteristics and ultrasound findings may be incorporated into the emergency room workup of pregnant women with suspected adnexal torsion.