What are the things that need to be taken care of for chocolate cyst surgery?

  Why should special emphasis be placed on the protection of ovarian reserve function?  First, ovarian chocolate cysts are highly prevalent in young women, and the main surgical procedure taken for patients in this age group is ovarian chocolate cyst debulking. During surgery, special attention needs to be paid to the protection of the patient’s reproductive and endocrine functions while striving for complete removal of the lesion. First of all, it is known that the formation of chocolate cysts is different from ordinary tumors and has its special aspects. In an ordinary tumor, there is a clear boundary between the cyst wall and the normal ovary, so it is relatively easy to peel off. In the case of chocolate cysts, the boundary between the cyst wall and the normal ovarian tissue is unclear due to recurrent periodic bleeding, scarring of adhesions and inflammatory reaction. This is a special feature of ovarian chocolate cysts. Many studies suggest that the chocolate cyst itself has reduced ovarian reserve function.  Secondly, surgery may further reduce ovarian reserve function. Due to the specificity of chocolate cyst formation, no matter how delicate the surgery is, there is a risk of misdissection of normal ovarian tissue, which may further lead to reduced ovarian reserve function. In addition, the use of thermal instruments during laparoscopic surgery exacerbates the adverse effects on ovarian tissues. Especially for recurrent cases and bilateral coarctation cases, the use of thermal instruments can further lead to the reduction of ovarian reserve function and even the occurrence of premature ovarian failure. Therefore, when performing laparoscopic chocolate cyst debulking, it is important to consider not only how to completely remove the lesion, but also to pay special attention to protect the ovarian reserve function, fertility and endocrine function in young women.  What does the operator need to be aware of during chocolate cyst surgery? What is the efficacy of this type of surgery?  First of all, it is important to emphasize the issue of surgical indications, which according to the latest 2015 guidelines for endometriosis are chocolate cysts larger than 4 cm. However, with the indication for surgery, is it necessary to have surgery? For this question, we have to do some specific and individualized treatment, and we have to make a treatment plan after careful consideration of the patient’s age, fertility status, life plan and the patient’s wishes.  First of all, we need to assess whether the patient can really benefit from this surgery. The best time to perform the surgery must be taken into account. For example, if an 18 year old girl has a 4 cm chocolate cyst, does she have to undergo surgery? When operating, we particularly emphasize the thoroughness of the initial surgery. Although endometriosis is a benign disease, it has the characteristic of being prone to recurrence. In the case of malignant tumors, we cannot overemphasize the thoroughness of the initial treatment. Similarly, the thoroughness of the initial surgery for chocolate cyst is very important for the future of the patient, so an adequate preoperative evaluation, good surgical technique, and multidisciplinary cooperation when necessary are very important. And the search for a safe method of coeliac removal is what gynecologists are striving for. In this congress, we report a modified method of colectomy by aqueous separation of posterior pituitary hormone. We also confirmed that this procedure is safe and feasible, easy to learn, and easy to master by young surgeons by measuring AMH, FSH, and AFC to assess ovarian reserve function, as well as three-year clinical follow-up data. It is also important to emphasize that post-operative management is also very important and that long-term management has a positive effect on improving the quality of life of patients.  Endometriosis belongs to the category of chronic diseases and requires long-term management. At the 12th Congress on Endometriosis (WCE) in São Paulo, Brazil, a consensus has emerged that endometriosis has been considered a chronic disease and should be managed long-term and lifelong, just like hypertension and diabetes. Chocolate cysts are certainly no exception, especially for patients who develop them at a young age, and long-term management is emphasized. The surgeon has to choose the right time to do an effective surgery and to manage the patient for a long time after the surgery to prevent recurrence. We must inform patients that having surgery does not mean the end of treatment and that long-term management is important. We advocate a standardized long-term management model of surgery plus medication. What is the postoperative management to be done? It needs to be managed on a patient-by-patient basis. For patients with stage III-IV endometriosis who do not have fertility requirements, we advocate 4-6 postoperative injections of GnRH-a analogs followed by oral contraceptives. For patients with fertility requirements, preoperative and intraoperative fertility evaluation should be done, and postoperative guidance and management of fertility should be provided to patients as early as possible according to their condition. Good interface and cooperation between gynecologists and fertility physicians is of great importance here.