title: Management of adnexal cystic masses with unexpected intracystic vegetations detected during laparoscopy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate a prospective series of consecutive patients with unexpected intracystic vegetations detected during operative laparoscopy for adnexal masses.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective series of consecutive patients (Canadian Task Force classification: II-2).
  
  
  METHODS
  Tertiary care university hospitals.
  
  
  METHODS
  Consecutive patients found during surgery to have unexpected intracystic vegetations and treated by operative laparoscopy, out of a total series of 667 patients under 40 years of age with ultrasonographic evidence of an adnexal cystic mass without thick septa, internal wall papillarities, or solid components.
  
  
  METHODS
  Operative laparoscopy and follow-up.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty-five (5.2%) of 667 patients were found at surgery to have unexpected intracystic vegetations. A frozen section was sent for pathologic analysis in all 35 patients. Frozen section diagnosis was benign in 32 patients and borderline in 3 patients. Final pathology diagnosis was borderline ovarian tumor in five of the 35 patients (14.3%), and benign in 30 patients (85.7%). No case of invasive carcinoma was diagnosed either at frozen section or at final pathology examination. The patients with borderline tumors are alive with no evidence of disease after a mean follow-up of 60 months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the present series, with accurate preoperative selection, the rate of adnexal cysts with unexpected intracystic vegetations was 5%, of which 14% were borderline tumors. The laparoscopic management of these adnexal masses did not adversely affect the prognosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Italy. r.marana@tiscali.it
authors.forename: Riccardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Marana
authors.forename: Ludovico
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Muzii
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ferrari
authors.forename: Giovan Fiore
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Catalano
authors.forename: Gianfranco
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zannoni
authors.forename: Elisabetta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Marana
mesh_terms: D000005:Abdomen / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D000291:Adnexal Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D000328:Adult; D003537:Cystadenoma / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005833:Genital Neoplasms, Female / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy; D010048:Ovarian Cysts / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014463:Ultrasonography