AT THE AAGL GLOBAL CONGRESS
ORLANDO (FRONTLINE MEDICAL NEWS) – The first study to directly compare plasma energy treatment of ovarian endometriomas to cystectomy demonstrates similar postintervention pregnancy rates, suggesting that plasma energy ablation may be a comparable treatment option.
Researchers evaluated 104 women seeking pregnancy after 1 year or more of infertility. Women presented with unilateral or bilateral ovarian endometriomas larger than 3 cm between January 2009 and June 2014. Clinicians treated 64 patients with plasma energy ablation and another 40 with cystectomy and followed them to compare pregnancy rates.
After at least 1 year of follow-up, pregnancy rates were 68% following plasma energy ablation, compared with 80% after cystectomy. Of the 76 pregnancies, 24 were due to spontaneous conception, including 40% of pregnancies in the plasma energy group and 18% in the cystectomy group. Even after adjustment for multiple factors, the type of intervention had no statistically significant impact on achieving a subsequent pregnancy.
“Ablation using plasma energy may be considered a valuable tool that allows a high pregnancy rate,” Basma Darwish, MD , an ob.gyn. at Rouen (France) University Hospital, said at the meeting, which was sponsored by AAGL.
These similar outcomes were observed despite a higher prevalence of risk predictors for infertility in the plasma energy group at baseline. For instance, women in this cohort were significantly older and had significantly higher revised American Fertility Society (rAFS) classification scores, as well as higher rates of pouch of Douglas obliteration, deep endometriosis, and colorectal localizations.
“Endometrial ablation using plasma energy allows good postoperative [pregnancy] rates, that is well known,” Dr. Darwish said, but the technique has not been directly compared with cystectomy outcomes.
Pregnancy rates remained similar in both groups at 24 and 36 months. The probability of pregnancy was 61% in the plasma energy group versus 69% in the cystectomy group at 24 months. At 36 months, these rates changed to 84% and 78%, respectively.
A unique property of plasma energy ablation is “very limited thermal spread, both in depth and laterally,” Dr. Darwish said.
A lack of randomization is a potential limitation of the study. “Each surgeon chose the technique he or she was best at, which may have explained our good outcomes.” Dr. Darwish said. Strengths of the study include a prospective design and follow-up to 5 years. In addition, the six centers involved in the study included both private and public hospitals, “so it’s a good reflection of what happens in real life.”
The investigators plan to conduct a randomized controlled trial to confirm these findings.
