Pelvic and periaortic pertioneal closure or non-closure at lymphadenectomy in ovarian cancer: effects on morbidity and adhesion formation.

The effects of pelvic and periaortic peritoneal closure or (non-closure) on morbidity and adhesion formation were prospectively compared in 102 patients with ovarian cancer who had undergone a pelvic and periaortic lymphadenectomy. Hysterectomy with bilateral salpingoophorectomy, bilateral pelvic and periaortic lymphadenectomy, omentectomy, appendectomy and lysis of pelvic adhesions for the standardization of initial adhesion scores was performed on all patients. The pelvic and periaortic peritoneum were re-approximated in group I (n = 50) patients, and left open in group II (n = 52) patients. The groups were similar for mean age, previous surgery, tumour histology and disease stage. Morbidity characteristics such as blood loss, transfusion rate, post-operative infectious and non-infectious complications, and total hospital stay were also similar. After six courses of PAC (cisplatin 50 mg/m(2), Adriamycin 50 mg/m(2), cyclophosphamide 500 Mg/M(2)) chemotherapy, all patients underwent a second-look laparotomy. Persistent cancer was detected in 49 of 102 (48.03%) patients. Adhesion scores were detected at the time of second-look laparotomy. Adhesion scores for group I (8.9 +/- 2.9) were significantly higher than the group II (peritoneum non-closure) (5.8 +/- 2.3) (P<0.01). Closing the pelvic and periaortic peritoneum did not effect morbidity, but leaving the pelvic and periaortic peritoneum open significantly decreased the adhesion formation.