title: Endoscopic surgery for mature teratoma of the ovary.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study was undertaken to assess the value of laparoscopic surgery as treatment for benign mature teratomas of the ovary.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 70 patients treated exclusively with laparoscopic surgery for ovarian mature teratoma were studied. The tumors were either enucleated with preservation of the ovary or removed by salpingo-oophorectomy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ovary-preserving surgery was performed in 60 cases; salpingo-oophorectomy was accomplished in 10 cases. All tumors removed were histologically benign. No surgical complications were encountered throughout the series. In eight patients who underwent primary ovary-preserving surgery, a second-look laparoscopy was undertaken with virtually no pathological findings noted.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings confirm those of other authors- when performed by experienced surgeons, laparoscopic removal of ovarian mature teratomas is a safe and recommendable alternative to laparotomy. Preoperative diagnosis and intraoperative inspection of the tumor must be as thorough as possible.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Ulrich
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Keckstein
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Paulus
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sasse
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy; D008875:Middle Aged; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D013724:Teratoma / Q000601:surgery*