Operative treatment of gynaecologic diseases in puberty: seven years of experience.

PURPOSE OF INVESTIGATION: The aim of this study is to present the incidence and surgical management of gynaecologic pathology in adolescence in the 1st Obstetrics and Gynecology Department of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. METHODS: After a retrospective review of the medical records of over a seven year period (2004-2011), 32 adolescent patients with reported surgical gynaecologic procedures were identified and analysed. RESULTS: Fourteen out of the 16 adolescents with ovarian masses (eight neoplastic and eight non-neoplastic) were treated by laparoscopy. Congenital anomalies were diagnosed in seven patients and only one of them was treated by laparotomy. The rest were surgically treated for uterine leiomyoma (1), ectopic pregnancy (2), pelvic abscess (1), mesosalpingeal cysts (2), mesenterian cyst (1) and investigation of chronic pelvic pain. DISCUSSION: Although benign ovarian cysts and congenital anomalies represent the major indication for operative treatment of gynaecologic diseases in puberty, laparoscopy and/or hysteroscopy should be the gold standard procedure after careful preoperative investigation.