Freezing, thawing, and autograft of ovarian fragments in sheep: preliminary experiments and histologic assessment.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of freezing and thawing on the histologic changes in ovarian fragments from sheep and to determine the feasibility of ovarian autografts. DESIGN: Histologic evaluation of follicles that survived after freezing at -196 degrees C for 2 weeks. Histologic evaluation of ovarian fragments 6 months after the autografts. SETTING: Laboratoire de Zootechnie, Ecole National Véterinaire, Marcy l'Etoile, France. ANIMAL(S): Six ewes aged 6 months to 1 year. INTERVENTION(S): Cortical fragments were prepared from the right ovary of 6 lambs and were grafted immediately to the contralateral ovarian hilus or were cooled slowly to -196 degrees C in medium containing dimethyl sulfoxide for 2 weeks. The autografts were recovered 6 months later. RESULT(S): Histologic examination of ovarian slices after freezing showed no destruction of primordial, primary, secondary, or cavitary follicles. The ovarian autograft showed good recovery of the macroscopic and microscopic ovarian structure. After autografting, histologic examination revealed primordial to cavitary follicles. CONCLUSION(S): Freezing of ovarian fragments is possible without damaging the follicles. Ovarian autografts showed good recovery of ovarian structure.

[First trimester abdominal pregnancy and laparoscopic surgical treatment. 2 case reports of evolving abdominal pregnancy treated with laparoscopy at 10 and 12 weeks]. / Grossesse abdominale du premier trimestre et traitement coelio-chirurgical. A propos de deux cas de grossesse abdominale évolutive traités par coelioscopie à 10 et 12 semaines d'aménorrhée.

Abdominal pregnancy occurs rarely and few observations of laparoscopic surgical treatment have been published. We observed 2 cases at 10 and 12 weeks of amenorrhoea. During one of the operations, it was particularly difficult to establish haemostasis, demonstrating the problems involved with laparoscopic surgery, highly dependent on gestational age and trophoblastic localization. Based on the epidemiological and diagnostic data we propose a therapeutic protocol for laparoscopic surgery in first-trimester abdominal pregnancies, taking into consideration the cases previously reported and current care for extrauterine pregnancy and late abdominal pregnancy.