Ovarian Cyst Surgery Is NOT Always Necessary. Find Out Why

There are several ovarian cyst surgery processes that include diagnostic surgery, ovarian cyst removal surgery as well as surgery performed to eliminate cancerous ovaries. Almost all of them are performed under full anesthesia with a multitude of monitors recording the pulse, heartbeat, blood pressure and other vitally important medical data of the patient. This, as you can see, helps the surgeon tackle any emergency that may arise when the surgery is in process.

Ovarian Cyst Removal - Diagnostic Surgery

Whenever a woman in the child-bearing age complains of a nagging pain in the lower abdomen or experiences irregular periods, it could be because of cysts in the ovary. To substantiate the diagnosis, the patient is often asked to take an USG which confirms the presence of cysts. However, ultrasound cannot differentiate between a normal cyst and an abnormal or cancerous cyst. Because of this, the physician may face problems deciding about the next significant step for treatment. Diagnostic Laparoscopy at this stage can become quite helpful in identifying the nature of the cyst.

The procedure is generally carried out in a hospital or an outpatient surgical center under general anesthesia. In certain rare cases where patient tolerance towards anesthetic agents is very low, local anesthesia covering the lower abdomen can also be applied.

As soon as the effect of the local anesthesia is felt fully, the surgeon selects an area immediately below the belly, and punctures two pencil-thin holes in the abdomen. Through one of these holes, CO² or Carbon Dioxide gas is pumped into the abdomen. This helps to obtain better view of the organs inside the abdomen. A narrow tube is next inserted into the abdomen through the other hole that holds a tiny video camera, a powerful light source and some sensors.

Since the video camera within the laparoscope is connected to a monitor placed near the surgeon, he or she can manipulate to see the image of the ovary clearly. There is a big 'however' here since renowned Laparoscopic surgeons are usually not satisfied with the image, as obtained with conventional Laparoscopy. Many of them thus prefer Laparotomy.

Treatment For Ovarian Cysts - The Cyst Removal Surgery

Conventional medics often suggest surgery when the cyst persists, thus creating pain and other complications. In such situations, the common procedure adopted by most surgeons includes either laparoscopic or laparotomic surgery. The former involves the use of a laparoscope, a device with inbuilt video camera and a powerful light for taking images of the ovary and transmitting them to a monitor before the surgeon.

At first, the patient is anesthetized. The surgeon makes a few small incisions in the abdomen, right below the belly button. Carbon dioxide gas is next pumped inside the abdomen - this clears the inside of the abdomen and enhances visibility. The gas literally inflates the abdomen like a dome, thus creating more working area for manipulating the specially made surgical instruments. The surgeon then selects the appropriate instrument to scoop out the cyst from inside the ovary, and it is eventually removed from the abdomen.

Problems Associated With Laparoscopic Ovarian Cyst Removal

One of the biggest problems associated with laparoscopic removal involves its retrieval from the pelvic area without spilling. Since most cysts contain fluids as well as some solid material, there are two distinct problems at the final stage of the surgical procedure.

The chances of spilling are not only quite high in most cases, but at the same time infection may set in when the spilled contents of the cyst contaminate the nearby organs. To overcome this issue, surgeons are currently using zipper storage bags for removal of ovarian cysts.

Laparoscopy to Laparotomy

But ovarian cyst surgery does not end here. In cases where the performing surgeon gets a feeling that one or both the ovaries have turned cancerous, the surgeon immediately goes for Laparotomy, which provides much better vision for the surgeon to check the ovaries and remove them if necessary.

The average hospital stay after surgical cyst removal is about 24 hours, and with open surgery, you might have to stay for about 7 days. The pain after surgery can last anywhere from 3-10 days and usually depends upon the procedure used. However, the actual recovery time can be up to 3 weeks for laparoscopic surgery and up to 5 weeks for open surgery.

Ovarian cyst surgery should only be the last option - once everything else has failed. Even when you want to try surgery, you should know that while the surgery can remove the cyst, but you can have the cyst again because the root causes are not resolved.