Ultrasound-Guided Aspiration With and Without Ethanol Sclerotherapy in the Management of Simple Adnexal Cysts: A Single-Center Experience

Recurrence Rate and Morbidity after Ultrasound-guided Transvaginal Aspiration of Ultrasound Benign-appearing Adnexal Cystic Masses with and without Sclerotherapy: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

To determine the pooled recurrence rate of benign adnexal masses/cysts (namely simple cyst, endometrioma, hydrosalpinx, peritoneal cyst) after transvaginal ultrasound-guided aspiration, with or without sclerotherapy.

DATA SOURCES

Search of studies published in PubMed and Web of Science databases between January 1990 and December 2020.

METHODS OF STUDY SELECTION

A systematic search strategy was done using Medical Subject Heading terms. Only randomized trials and prospective studies published in English language were included.

TABULATION, INTEGRATION, AND RESULTS

A total of 395 articles were screened. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 20 studies were included in this review comprising data from 1386 patients with a mean follow-up of 11.4 months (range 0.5-26.5 months). The overall pooled rate of recurrence of adnexal masses was 27%, (95% confidence interval [CI], 18%-39%). Recurrence rate was significantly higher after only aspiration than after sclerotherapy (53%; 95% CI, 46%-60% vs 14%; 95% CI, 8%-22%; p <.001). However, a high heterogeneity across the studies was found. A total of 10 major complications were recorded in the different publications.

CONCLUSION

In a selected population, aspiration with sclerotherapy had a lower recurrence rate than aspiration without sclerotherapy. However, these results should be interpreted with caution given the heterogeneity of the studies and the paucity of randomized controlled trials. Regarding the adoption of this procedure in routine clinical practice, we believe that aspiration should be considered an experimental procedure as there are few studies addressing long-term recurrence rate, and data comparing this technique with surgical cystectomy are lacking.

Aspiration versus retention ultrasound-guided ethanol sclerotherapy for treating endometrioma: A retrospective cross-sectional study

Background

Endometrioma is a common high-recurrence gynecological disease that affects infertility. Surgical resection using laparotomy or laparoscopy is applied as a standard treatment. Moreover, sclerotherapy is reported to be effective as a non-invasive method for treating endometrioma.

Objective

To evaluate whether the ethanol retention or aspiration after sclerotherapy improve pregnancy outcome in infertile women with endometrioma.

Materials and Methods

In a retrospective study, hospital records of 43 women with recurrent or bilateral endometrioma who had been undergone transvaginal ultrasound sclerotherapy were reviewed. They were selected to receive either ethanol for 10 min, ethanol injection, irrigation, and then aspiration or total retention without aspiration based on the surgeon's decision. The participants were followed-up for 3, 6 and 12 months for natural or artificial conception as well as for cyst recurrence.

Results

Chemical pregnancy was positive in 52% of the women in the aspiration group and 53.8% in the retention group. Ongoing pregnancy (44% vs 46.2%, p = 0.584) and live birth (40% vs 46.2%, p = 0.490) were reported marginally higher in the retention group compared with the aspiration group, and the differences were not statistically significant. Moreover, the recurrence rate were found to be 48.1% and 37.5% in the aspiration and retention groups, respectively (p = 0.542). The cysts size in the retention group was significantly correlated to the recurrence rate.

Conclusion

Both the aspiration and left in situ of ethanol 95% sclerotherapy have the similar impact on the treatment of ovarian endometrioma regarding pregnancy and recurrence rate. However, larger randomized studies with strict inclusion criteria are needed.

Transvaginal Ultrasound-Guided Fine-Needle Aspiration of Adnexal Cysts With a Low Risk of Malignancy: Our Experience and Recommendations

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of ultrasound (US)-guided aspiration for the management of low-risk adnexal cysts.

METHODS

A longitudinal cohort of women with a low-risk adnexal cyst who underwent transvaginal US-guided aspiration from January 2012 to April 2018 were included. All procedures were performed on an outpatient basis, without anesthesia, sedation, or antibiotics. The posttreatment follow-up protocol included transvaginal US at 3 and 12 months. Potential risk factors for recurrence (ie, age, menopausal status, comorbidities, symptoms, cyst diameter, incomplete emptying, and location) were analyzed by multiple logistic regression.

RESULTS

A total of 156 patients were included. The median (interquartile range) cyst diameter was 66 (58-80) mm. Fifty-seven (36.5%) cases were resolved by US-guided aspiration. The median follow-up time was 556.5 (344-1070.25) days. The complication rate of the procedure was 2.6% (n = 4), with 3 cases of a major complication due to a pelvic abscess and 1 case of a minor complication due to self-limited vaginal spotting. A larger cyst size (odds ratio, 1.01; 95% confidence interval, 1.04-1.07; P = .002) and an older age (odds ratio, 1.01; 95% confidence interval, 1.03-1.05; P = .007) at diagnosis were independent factors related to recurrence.

CONCLUSIONS

Based on the low resolution rate, US-guided aspiration is not an effective option for the treatment of low-risk adnexal cysts. Risk factors associated with recurrence were age and cyst size at diagnosis. Larger randomized studies are necessary to assess predictive factors for cyst recurrence.