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Study Objective This study was designed to evaluate the learning curve of transvaginal natural orifice surgery (NOS) for adnexal tumors based on the type of procedure (adnexectomy or cystectomy). Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting Tertiary-care university hospital. Patients One hundred thirty-six women with adnexal tumors. Interventions A series of 136 consecutive transvaginal NOS for adnexal tumor were performed between April 2011 and June 2016. Eighty-five patients (62.5%) had undergone cystectomy, and 51 patients (37.5%) had undergone adnexectomy. Measurements and Main Results The transvaginal NOS procedures included vaginal, endoscopic, single-port access techniques and were divided into 2 categories: adnexectomy and cystectomy. Operating time was electronically recorded and was defined as the time from the creation of a posterior colpotomy incision until the complete closure of the posterior colpotomy opening. The average operating time for the cystectomy and adnexectomy groups was 42.7 and 37.7 minutes, respectively (p = .015). The learning curve was analyzed using the cumulative summation method and showed that 36 cases were needed to achieve proficiency in transvaginal NOS for ovarian cystectomy. However, there was no significant cut-off point to determine the number of patients who had undergone adnexectomy. Conclusion A well-trained gynecologic endoscopist can achieve surgical proficiency in transvaginal NOS cystectomy after 36 cases. It is suggested that the surgical transvaginal NOS procedure should begin with adnexectomy rather than with cystectomy to avoid initial technical challenges.

Objective To demonstrate an innovative idea for a four-petal method for performing laparoscopic adenomyomectomy on a patient with focal-type adenomyosis. Design A step-by-step explanation of the technique with narrated video footage. Setting University hospital. Patient(s) A 38-year-old female with a 7 × 4 cm adenomyoma at the anterior uterine wall. Intervention(s) Laparoscopic adenomyomectomy began with a cruciate incision to turn the adenomyoma into the shape of a blooming four-petal flower to fully expose the tumor and maximize the removal of adenomyotic tissue. During excision of the lesion, around a 1 cm thickness of the myometrium was preserved at the subendometrial region and around a 0.5 cm thickness of the serosa flap was also left in each “petal.” Suture repair in the method introduced is different from closing the wound by approximation of myometrium to myometrium as in traditional myomectomy; instead, herein we repaired the adenomyomectomy wound by anchoring the serosal flap to the subendometrial tissue, with care taken to avoid dead space. Main Outcome Measure(s) Subjective clinical symptoms as well as serial ultrasonographic measurement of the uterine size, shape, and wall thickness. Result(s) The specimen removed was 92 g in weight. The symptoms have dramatically decreased since the procedure and dysmenorrhea improved from visual analog scale 8 to 1 postoperatively. Besides achieving satisfactory symptomatic relief, the ultrasonographic measurement of the myometrium was of adequate thickness (2.3 cm) after the operation and did not increase in a serial follow-up of 33 months. Conclusion(s) The four-petal method of adenomyomectomy with cruciate incision offers full exposure to the localized adenomyosis. It greatly facilitates a balance between the maximized resection of the lesions and tailored reserves of myometrium. Subsequent repair by anchoring the serosal flap to the subendometrial tissue ensures adequate thickness of the uterine wall after the operation.

Video Objective To provide practical tips and tricks on laparoscopic management of a heterotopic cornual pregnancy. Setting This video presents a 38-year-old nulliparous female patient who received bilateral salpingectomy and then underwent in vitro fertilization. Heterotopic pregnancy was found at 8 weeks of gestation. We arranged fetal reduction by ultrasound-guided potassium chloride injection. Two weeks after the procedure, severe lower abdominal pain developed. Due to massive hemoperitoneum with suspected left cornual rupture, she was admitted for laparoscopic intervention. Interventions Laparoscopic surgery was arranged. Left cornual pregnancy with necrosis and oozing were seen upon entry into the abdominal cavity. Estimated internal bleeding was about 3000 ml. Laparoscopic management was carried out in five steps: identification of the cornual protruding mass; control of bleeding via a loop ligation; incision of the cornus precisely with complete removal of the ectopic gestational tissue; closure of the defect of the cornus; and hemostasis using Floseal matrix. Conclusion The surgery was done smoothly and the patient recovered well with ongoing pregnancy. However, the patient underwent termination of pregnancy at 23 weeks of gestation due to fetal hydrocephalus.