Introduction
Torsion of endometriomas is uncommon due to associated
pelvic adhesions [1]. Nevertheless, it constitutes the fifth
gynecological emergency [2]. We report an interesting case of a
35-year-old patient; who presented to our department for acute
pelvic pain; To our knowledge, our patient had no particular
medical or surgical history; gynecological examination and the
ultrasound was in favor of a torsion of a huge ovarian cyst; the
treatment was surgical with the realization of a conservative
treatment: detorsion and cystectomy. The histological examination
came back in favor of an endometrioma.
Case Report
A 35-year-old woman presented to our emergency department
complaining of acute pelvic pain associated with vomiting for
the last five hours which responded poorly to the analgesics .no
vaginal bleeding or discharge was present. She had no relevant
medical or surgical history G3P3.
In our physical examination, the patient was conscious,
there was no notion of digestive transit disorders, nor
micturition disorders. The abdomen was tender to palpation. The
gynecological examination was unremarkable. The clinical picture
was mainly dominated by acute pelvic pain in a patient with no
particular history.
Given the urgency, we immediately performed an ultrasound
coupled with Doppler of the abdomen objectifying a left ovarian
cyst measuring 12 cm in diameter (Figure 1). However, torsion
was not excluded. There was neither leukocytosis nor raised CRP .
BHCG was negative.
Laparotomy was performed. Intraoperative findings revealed a
large cystic arising from the left ovary; it was around 12 cm in size.
There was torsion of this cyst on its pedicle by two turns (Figure
2), the right ovary was normal. the detorsion and cystectomy was
performed (Figure 3). Thereafter. The histology report described
an endometrioma with extensive hemorrhagic.
The postoperative period was uneventful, and the patient was
discharged from the hospital 3 days after surgery.
Abstract
Endometrioma, when its size is ≥ 5 cm, can be complicated by a torsion of the ovary. In this case it is a diagnostic and therapeutic emergency with
respect to the many complications of ovarian torsion including necrosis.
We report a case of endometrioma diagnosed by a torsion of the ovary. The context clinic was dominated by acute pelvic pain; the ultrasound
showed a huge left cystic ovary, and the laparotomy revealed a torsion of the left adnexa. A detorsion and cystectomy was performed and the
confirmation of the endometrioma was provided by the histology of the surgical specimen.
The difficulty lies in the diagnostic and therapeutic choice to preserve or not the ovary. The indications are therefore discussed on a case-by-case
basis and depend on many parameters, the most important of which is the intraoperative viability of the ovary after its detorsion.
How to cite this article: Mariam M, Aziz S, Khawla L, Najia Z, Amina L, et al. Torsion of an Ovarian Endometrioma: About an Uncommon Case Report.
Glob J Reprod Med. 2023; 9(3): 555762. DOI: 10.19080/GJORM.2022.09.555762002
Global Journal of Reproductive Medicine
Figure 1: Ultrasonographic appearance of endometrioma
Figure 1: The torsion of the endometrioma on its pedicle
Figure 3: Intraoperative image of the cystic mass after cystectomy.
How to cite this article: Mariam M, Aziz S, Khawla L, Najia Z, Amina L, et al. Torsion of an Ovarian Endometrioma: About an Uncommon Case Report.
Glob J Reprod Med. 2023; 9(3): 555762. DOI: 10.19080/GJORM.2022.09.555762003
Global Journal of Reproductive Medicine
Discussion
Endometrioma is one of the most frequent localizations
of endometriosis. According to the theory of Hughesdon and
Broosens, the endometriosis cyst is formed either from an
endometrial implant in the ovarian fossa, or from an inversion and
invagination of the ovarian cortex. This cyst can grow and reach a
size of 5 cm at most [2] rarely exceeds 10–15 cm in diameter [1].
Theoretically, the most common cysts associated with torsion
are cystic teratomas and cystadenomas, accounting for 60% and
30% of all cases, respectively [4]. Ovarian endometrioma are less
likely to twist because of accompanying adhesions [1].
The clinical diagnosis of ovarian torsion is difficult to establish.
Abdominal pain is the ubiquitous symptom in all cases of ovarian
torsion [3]. The onset of this pain is often sudden and localized
[4]. But it can have extremely different characteristics [3,5].
Indeed, pain can occur intermittently before the torsion, which
corresponds to phenomena of torsion detorsion of the ovary
[4,5]. The clinical picture presented by our patient was essentially
dominated by acute pelvic pain.
Torsion of an endometrioma is a diagnostic and therapeutic
emergency. Indeed, torsion of the ovarian pedicle is responsible
for ischemia and then edema of the ovary which, untreated,
progresses to ovarian necrosis, thrombophlebitis, hemorrhage
and, in extreme cases, peritonitis [6].
The typical appearance of torsion in ultrasound is manifested
by unilateral ovarian enlargement with edema and peripheral
arrangement of the follicles [7]. The presence of a spiral pattern
has been shown to increase the sensitivity of the examination
[8]. The absent arterial flow on Doppler is associated with 100%
of cases of torsion [9]. However, this sign has a low negative
predictive value since the complete absence of flow is only visible
in the late phase. MRI has shown a higher sensitivity for detecting
a pelvic mass than ultrasonography [10].
In our case, the ultrasound showed an ovarian cyst without
objectifying the intra cystic vascular changes. The rapidity of the
diagnosis allowed management and the conversative treatment
before the onset of complications.
Although endometriomas are usually a benign entity, there is
a 1% rate of malignant transformation. Endometrioid tumors of
the ovary and clear cell ovarian carcinomas are the most common
histological patterns seen [11,12].
Endometrioma, particularly in cases of torsion, raises the
issue of whether the ovary is preserved. The therapeutic choice is
guided by age, parity, ovarian reserve, cyst size, history of ovarian
surgery and ovarian viability [1]. The European Society of Human
Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) and other authors
recommend laparoscopic cystectomy for an endometrioma ≥ 4 cm
[1,2].
To maintain fertility, conservative surgery should be favored.
Detorsion and cystectomy is the gold standard management. In all
cases, it is recommended to combine a GnRH analogue with the
chosen treatment [13]. This helps to contain endometriosis and
prevent recurrences.
Conclusion
Adnexal torsion induced by endometrioma has rarely
been reported. Due to associated pelvic adhesions. However, it
constitutes the fifth gynecological emergency. It is important to be
aware of the possibility of adnexal torsion in all patients of all ages
presenting with acute pelvic pain, as it can have consequences for
potential fertility if not treated promptly. The therapeutic choices
are discussed on a case-by-case basis and depends on many
parameters, the most important of which is the intraoperative
viability of the ovary after its detorsion.
Guarantor of Submission
The corresponding author is the guarantor of submission.
Funding
There are no funding sources to be declared.
Availability of Data and Materials
Supporting material is available if further analysis is needed.
Competing Interests
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Consent for Publication
Written informed consent was obtained from the patient for
publication of this case report and any accompanying images. A
copy of the written consent is available for review by the Editor-
in-Chief of this journal.
Ethics Approval and Consent to Participate
Ethics approval has been obtained to proceed with the current
study. Written informed consent was obtained from the patient for
participation in this publication.
References
1 Clement PB (1994) Diseases of the peritoneum. In: Kurman RJ (Edn)
Blaustein’s pathology of the female genital tract, 4th edn. Springer, New
York, pp 664–667.
2 Huang C, Hong MK, Ding DC (2017) A review of ovary torsion. Tzu Chi
Med J 29: 143-147.
3 Sasaki KJ and Miller CE (2014) Adnexal torsion: review of the literature.
J Minim Invasive Gynecol 21(2): 196–202.
4 Rousseau V, Massicot R, Darwish AA, Sauvat F, Emond S, et al. (2008)
Emergency management and conservative surgery of ovarian torsion
in children: a report of 40 cases. J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol 21(4): 201-
206.
How to cite this article: Mariam M, Aziz S, Khawla L, Najia Z, Amina L, et al. Torsion of an Ovarian Endometrioma: About an Uncommon Case Report.
Glob J Reprod Med. 2023; 9(3): 555762. DOI: 10.19080/GJORM.2022.09.555762004
Global Journal of Reproductive Medicine
5 Cass DL (2005) Ovarian torsion. Semin Pediatr Surg 14(2): 86-92.
6 Zengyan Wang, Dan Zhang, Huanxiao Zhang, Xu Guo, Jingxuan Zheng, et
al. (2019) Medicine 98: 5e14321.
7 Shadinger LL, Andreotti RF, Kurian RL (2008) Preoperative
sonographic and clinical characteristics as predictors of ovarian
torsion. J Ultrasound Med Off J Am Inst Ultrasound Med 27(1): 7-13.
8 Nizar K, Deutsch M, Filmer S, Weizman B, Beloosesky R, et al. (2009)
Doppler studies of the ovarian venous blood flow in the diagnosis of
adnexal torsion. J Clin Ultrasound JCU 37(8): 436-439.
9 Peña JE, Ufberg D, Cooney N, Denis AL (2000) Usefulness of Doppler
sonography in the diagnosis of ovarian torsion. Fertil Steril 73(5):
1047-1050.
10 Noventa M, Scioscia M, Schincariol M, Cavallin F, Pontrelli G, et al. (2019) Imaging
Modalities for Diagnosis of Deep Pelvic Endometriosis: Comparison between
Trans-Vaginal Sonography, Rectal Endoscopy Sonography and Magnetic
Resonance Imaging. A Head-to-Head Meta-Analysis. Diagnostics (Basel,
Switzerland) 9(4): 225.
11 Liang H, Li Y and Li T (2007) Torsion and rupture of ovarian chocolate
cyst in full-term pregnancy: a case report. Medical Journal of National
Defending Forces in Northwest China 5: 395.
12 Jones J, Anan R, Rasuli B, et al. (2022) Endometrioma. Reference article,
Radiopaedia.org.
13 Selak V, Farquhar C, Prentice A, Singla A (2007) Danazol for pelvic
pain associated with endometriosis. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 4:
CD000068.
Your next submission with Juniper Publishers
will reach you the below assets
• Quality Editorial service
• Swift Peer Review
• Reprints availability
• E-prints Service
• Manuscript Podcast for convenient understanding
• Global attainment for your research
• Manuscript accessibility in different formats
( Pdf, E-pub, Full Text, Audio)
• Unceasing customer service
Track the below URL for one-step submission
https://juniperpublishers.com/online-submission.php
This work is licensed under Creative
Commons Attribution 4.0 License
DOI: 10.19080/GJORM.2023.09.5556762
Text is read by the "Ask this paper" AI Q&A widget below.
Extraction quality varies by source — PMC NXML preserves structure
cleanly, OA-HTML may include some navigation residue, and OA-PDF can
have broken hyphenation. The publisher copy
(via DOI)
is the canonical version.