women s health issues
Adnexal Torsion
Treatment of Adnexal Torsion
Surgery to untwist the ovary If adnexal torsion is suspected, surgery is done immediately to check for a twisted ovary and thus confirm the diagnosis and, if it is twisted, to untwist it. One of the following procedures is used to try to untwist and thus save the ovary: Laparoscopy:Doctors may make one or more small incisions in the abdomen. They then insert a viewing tube (laparoscope) through one incision. Using instruments threaded through other incisions, they try to untwist the ovary and, if also twisted, the fallopian tube. Laparoscopy is done in a hospital and usually requires a general anesthetic, but it does not require an overnight stay. Laparotomy:Rarely, doctors need to make a larger incision in the abdomen if the ovarian mass is larger. A laparoscope is not used because doctors can directly view the affected organs. Laparotomy requires a long period of observation after the procedure or an overnight stay in the hospital and can cause more pain after the procedure than laparoscopy. If anovarian cystis present and the ovary can be saved, the cyst is removed (called cystectomy). If the blood supply was cut off and tissue died, removal of the fallopian tubes and ovaries (salpingo-oophorectomy) is necessary. If anovarian tumoris present, the entire ovary is removed (called oophorectomy). 