A conservative approach to unilateral ovarian torsion in a rat model

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether surgical detorsion is effective in preventing surgical resection in a rat model of ovarian torsion.

METHODS: This study was performed between July 2002 and May 2003 in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Gaziantep University Hospital, Gaziantep, Turkey. Fifty adult female rats were randomized into 10 groups. The right ovaries in the study groups were manually twisted under general anesthesia. The duration of ovarian torsion was 24, 48, 72, or 96 hours. Each group was also divided into 2 subgroups according to the time lapse following detorsion (24 or 72 hours). During autopsy, both ovaries from each animal were removed for histopathological examination. Tissue injury was graded from 0 (no injury) to 3 (necrosis).

RESULTS: Follicle development was observed in all specimens. After 24 hours following detorsion, the histopathology scores of the twisted right ovaries were significantly higher compared to the untwisted left ovaries in groups with torsion periods of 48 (p=0.04), 72 (p=0.03), and 96 hours (p=0.04). The histopathology scores of the twisted right ovaries at 24 hours following detorsion were significantly higher than those at 72 hours following detorsion in all groups (p<0.05).

CONCLUSION: The results show that conservative management by surgical detorsion in rats, even in those with a torsion period of 96 hours, can restore ovarian tissue viability. Furthermore, recovery observed in the twisted ovaries was better at 72 hours compared to that at 24 hours following detorsion.