Background: The stripping technique for endometriomas excision has been reported to be associated with follicular loss. The objective of this trial was to evaluate the presence and nature of ovarian tissue adjacent to the endometrioma cyst wall obtained by stripping with different techniques.
Methods: Forty-eight patients with ovarian endometrioma were enrolled in two consecutive independent randomized trials. Two different techniques were analysed at the initial adhesion site (circular excision and subsequent stripping versus immediate stripping). Two different techniques were analysed at the ovarian hilus (stripping versus coagulation and cutting). Histology analysis was performed in three portions of the cyst wall (initial adhesion site, intermediate part of the specimen, ovarian hilus).
Results: Recognizable ovarian tissue was inadvertently excised together with the endometrioma cyst wall in most cases. At initial adhesion sites more ovarian tissue was removed with the circular excision technique (< 0.001). No significant difference in quality of ovarian tissue (number and type of follicles) was found between specimens obtained with different surgical techniques at the initial or at the final part of the procedure. At the initial adhesion site and at the intermediate part of the cyst wall, the ovarian tissue removed along with the endometrioma wall was mainly constituted by tissue with no follicles or only primordial follicles (60% and 48% of the specimens from the initial part with both techniques, and from the intermediate part, respectively, had no follicles or only primordial follicles). Close to the ovarian hilus the ovarian tissue removed along with the endometrioma wall mostly consisted of tissue which contained primary and secondary follicles (69% of the cases, combining the two groups).
Conclusions: Ovarian tissue is inadvertently excised together with the endometrioma wall in most cases. The excised tissue is at normal functional development stages only near the ovarian hilus. The different techniques used do not influence significantly the quality of the resected tissue.