Laparoscopic Non-Obstetric Surgery During Pregnancy

Surgeon: Dr. Samrat Jankar & Dr. Shraddha Galgali

Anesthesiologist: Dr. Dhananjay Sanjekar

A 26-year female presented with 17th week of gestation complained of intermittent abdominal pain. It was diagnosed as a 12X8 cm left-sided heterogenous ovarian cyst, matured dermoid tumour on imaging. Considering a large symptomatic cyst and risk of rupture during pregnancy, the patient was taken for laparoscopic surgery with consent for open conversion and risk of abortion.

With all standard surgical and anaesthesia precautions, Dr Samrat Jankar and the team could complete Salphingo-oophorectomy surgery laparoscopically without any adverse events. The postoperative specimen and fluid sent for cytology were negative. Further, lavage cytology was done, which was also negative for malignancy.

• Operative time: 90 min
• Blood loss: 30 ml
• Hospital stay: 48 hours

Challenges for Laparoscopic Surgery in this Case:

1. Gravid uterus till infraumbilical position (less space for manipulation).
2. Large cyst (benign or malignant) need to remove entirely without spillage.
3. Surgical time has to be as short as possible.

Dr. Samrat Jankar said, “This was the first laparoscopic non-obstetric surgery during pregnancy at SUHRC and also a first-time experience for us. This was possible only because of good teamwork.”

The patient was advised to strictly adhere to the postoperative guidelines to avoid adverse side effects, and follow-up was recommended.