Clinical Research Directory

Ultrasound-guided Transvaginal Aspiration of Cystic Pelvic Lesions

Adnexal cysts or pseudocysts are a common finding on transvaginal ultrasound, especially in premenopausal women. Due to the size of some cysts, they may cause discomfort. Moreover, a genuine risk of ovarian torsion presents when these lesions grow. During the last decades, great advancements have been made in the correct differentiation of benign from malignant lesions. However, there still is controversy concerning the optimal treatment approach of symptomatic adnexal cysts with a low risk of malignancy, consisting of both surgery or ultrasound-guided transvaginal aspiration. Factors such as comorbidities and lesion characteristics need to be considered when counselling patients, as well as the possibility of short term recurrence. Surgically removing them may result in longer hospital stays and recovery, with higher costs, while transvaginal needle aspiration techniques can be performed during a consultation. Additional benefits in avoiding surgery, particularly in women of reproductive age, are fertility preservation and less pelvic adhesions. On the other hand, the main arguments against cyst aspiration are the relatively high recurrence rate of cysts, the minimal risk of malignant cell dissemination (In case of a false negative diagnosis) and the cytological instead of a histopathological examination. With this in mind, it is important to base management decisions on the sonographic features of the lesions. In addition, cyst aspiration can also be considered in large symptomatic cysts with a high risk of malignancy, but where curative treatment with surgical or chemotherapeutical intervention cannot be considered due to poor general condition of the patient. Especially in the absence of large volume ascites or peritoneal carcinomatosis, but with significant symptoms due to lesion size, cyst aspiration may give short term symptom alleviation. Given the risk of cancer cell dissemination, this intervention is always discussed in a multidisciplinary team discussion, to balance risk and benefits for patients with no other treatment options, Transvaginal needle aspiration is also being used in pelvic abscesses. The study of K. Gjelland et al. found that transvaginal aspiration combined with antibiotic treatment of pelvic abscesses is equally effective as surgically removing them. They state that this should be first-line treatment for abscesses, as it is minimally invasive, leading to better patient tolerance and avoiding the risks associated with anesthesia and surgery. Saline irrigation of the abscess cavity can be performed, making the process of pus aspiration easier when the consistency is too viscous. The literature still lacks studies about the symptom relief in patients receiving treatment for pelvic cystic lesions. Given that this is an important outcome parameter in determining the feasibility of performing procedures, more research in this area is needed. The main aim of this prospective study is to evaluate the patient's symptom relief and cyst recurrence rate after ultrasound-guided transvaginal aspiration of pelvic cystic lesions or abscess drainage. Secondly, the safety and the patient's overall experience during as well as immediately after the procedure will be assessed.

A Clinical Study on the Feasibility and Safety of Abdominal Endoscopic Single-port Surgery System to Assist Gynecological Day Surgery

In this study, a prospective study is used to select patients who will undergo intra-abdominal endoscopic single-port surgery system for benign gynecological diseases from February 2025 to December 2026 in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, including hysterectomy, myomectomy, ovarian cyst removal and adnexectomy. The study will perform statistical analysis to evaluate the feasibility and the main factors affecting the safety of intra-abdominal endoscopic single-port surgery system(SR-ENS-600) used in gynecological day surgery.

Assessment of Women's Sexual Quality of Life After Benign Adnexal Surgery Using vNOTES Approach

Transvaginal Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery (vNOTES) is a recent innovation in minimally invasive surgery which has already proven its non-inferiority to conventional abdominal laparoscopy (CAL) for hysterectomy in terms of efficiency and safety. However, the investigators note a lack of medical literature and no specific randomized controlled trial (RCT) assessing women's sexual function after vNOTES for benign adnexal surgery. The aim of this RCT is to confirm the non-inferiority of the vNOTES approach for benign adnexal pathology compared to CAL on women's sexual function. Secondary outcomes will evaluate vNOTES's efficiency, morbidity and postoperative complications compared to CAL for benign adnexal surgery. The relationship between adnexal mass morcellation/aspiration and the quality of the histological analysis on surgical specimens will also be evaluated as secondary outcome.

Masses in Young Patients - International Ovarian Tumour Analysis (MY-IOTA)

This multicenter observational study aims to validate the IOTA Simple Rules, Benign Descriptors, and ADNEX model in a cohort of patients equal or under the age of 20. Moreover, the study aims to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of subjective assessment by ultrasound and to analyze the rate of complications in patients treated conservatively.

MIRRORS-FROZEN - Comparing Open Vs Robotic Surgery in the Management of Women with Complex Pelvic Adnexal Masses ≤ 8cm.

Adnexal masses are growths that can form in the ovaries or fallopian tubes for different reasons, such as hormonal changes, infection, or cancer. These masses may cause pelvic discomfort, pain, constipation, or no symptoms at all. When adnexal masses are found on scans, they are described in a certain way to indicate if they could represent early-stage cancer, and the word "complex" is used to refer to these masses. Surgery is often recommended, where the mass is removed and examined under the microscope during surgery in a process called (frozen section analysis); to determine its true nature. It is still difficult to confirm cancer before surgery, and many of these masses turn out to be benign (not cancerous) or borderline (slow-growing tumours). Currently, doctors use open surgery with a cut from at least the belly button to the pubic bone to remove these masses. Patients with a cancer diagnosis will then have more surgical steps including assessment and sampling of various areas inside the abdomen (known as staging surgery) to see how far the cancer has spread. Recovery after open surgery can be long and painful, with a slow return to normal daily activities. The trial investigators know from practice that robotic surgery has replaced open surgery for most benign adnexal diseases and other types of women's cancers, such as womb cancer. Recovery is quicker, with less pain and blood loss, allowing for a faster return to daily activities. This study, MIRRORS-FROZEN (pilot), compares robotic versus the standard open surgery in managing women with complex adnexal masses of eight centimetres or less. The hope is to decrease the need for open surgery in patients with benign or borderline disease and to assess if robotic surgery has similar, worse, or better outcomes for patients with cancer. MIRRORS-FROZEN is funded by Intuitive Foundation and GRACE Charity. The investigators will establish the feasibility of conducting a large multicentre randomized controlled trial in the future comparing certain cancer outcomes between robotic and open surgery.

Prospective Validation of the ADNEX Model for Discrimination Between Benign and Malignant Adnexal Masses in Pregnancy: International Ovarian Tumour Analysis in Pregnancy Study (p-IOTA)

Prospective Validation of the ADNEX Model for discrimination between benign and malignant adnexal masses in pregnancy: International Ovarian Tumour Analysis in pregnancy study (p-IOTA)