Adnexal mass in pregnancy

Abstract

Adnexal masses in pregnancy are a rare finding. The majority of these masses are discovered incidentally during routine follow-up. The differential diagnosis of adnexal masses discovered during pregnancy is broad and the management of such lesions has been a subject of debate for years with no consensus regarding the best management plan. We report a case of a 38 year-old pregnant woman who was diagnosed at the time of the first trimester ultrasound with a multilocular solid arising form the right ovary. A laparoscopy followed by left oophorectomy was performed at 22 weeks and the definitive histology revealed a borderline ovarian cyst/proliferative mucinous atypical cyst. The patient delivered via vaginal at 38 weeks of gestation. This case was discussed and a secondary staging surgery (peritoneal washing, total abdominal hysterectomy, salpingo-oophorectomy, omentectomy, appendectomy, and peritoneal biopsies) was performed with no evidence of disease found. The surgical approach is controversial due to the increased risk of complications. In the absence of large prospective randomized trials it is difficult to know which are the best management practices and especially to determine the right moment during pregnancy to perform surgery in these patients.