Laparoscopic excision of pelvic masses during pregnancy

Ovarian neoplasms are infrequently found during early pregnancy and are typically benign corpus luteum cysts that regress. When a large mass persists or enlarges, surgical evaluation is mandated, preferably in the second trimester. To prevent the morbidity of a laparotomy and minimize length of stay, operative laparoscopy was performed on two pregnant women, gestational ages 18 and 15 weeks, with large ovarian tumors ranging in size from 10 to 18 cm. Laparoscopic salpingo-oophorectomy was successful in both patients, and frozen section confirmed the benign nature of the tumors. There were no complications and both pregnancies were continuing at the time of writing.