Comparison of perioperative outcomes of single-port laparoscopy, three-port laparoscopy and conventional laparotomy in removing giant ovarian cysts larger than 15 cm

BACKGROUND: Although conventional laparoscopy has gradually accepted as a surgical treatment for ovarian cancer, reducing the port numbers of laparoscopy still has great challenge for larger ovarian tumors. Thus, this study aims to explore the surgical outcomes of single-port laparoscopy for removing giant ovarian cysts (≥ 15 cm) and compare with laparotomy and three-port laparoscopy. METHODS: This study enrolled 95 patients with giant ovarian cysts (> 15 cm) who underwent single-port laparoscopy, three-port laparoscopy or laparotomy. Their medical records, perioperative surgical outcomes, and postoperative pain score and complications were analyzed and compared retrospectively. RESULTS: Single-port laparoscopy showed better perioperative outcomes and less postoperative pain than three-port laparoscopy and laparotomy. The time between post-surgery and getting out of bed in single-port laparoscopy was significant shorter than that in the laparotomy and three-port laparoscopy (17.53 ± 7.26 vs 29.40 ± 9.57 vs 24.56 ± 7.76, P < 0.01). The length of hospital stay in single-port laparoscopy was significantly shorter than that in other two groups (4.06 ± 0.5 vs 5.46 ± 1.63 vs 4.81 ± 0.83, P < 0.001). In addition, single-port laparoscopy had the lowest postoperative pain scores than in the laparotomy and three-port laparoscopy. There were no significant differences of total hospital cost, postoperative complications and time until gas passing among the three surgical groups. Importantly, in the removal of giant ovarian cysts, the proportion of cyst rupture in single-port laparoscopy was far lower than that in three-port laparoscopy (3.0 vs 22.2%). CONCLUSIONS: For giant ovarian cysts, single-port laparoscopy is still a safe and efficient technique with the advantages of short operation time, less estimated blood loss, short hospital stay, lower spillage rate, and less postoperative pain.