Neonatal surgery for giant floating abdominal cysts in females: clinical and surgical management.

Objective: Abdominal cystic formations in neonates are rare entities and often diagnostic suspicion arises before birth as a result of routine ultrasonographic scans carried out during pregnancy. The aim of this study is to report the authors' experience with giant floating abdominal cysts in females.

Study Design: The cases of antenatal abdominal cysts in females detected on ultrasound at the Department of Antenatal Diagnosis (Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata, Verona, Italy) of the authors' institution between May 2005 and May 2013 were recorded together with their clinical and surgical findings.

Results: 16 patients underwent surgery for a giant floating abdominal cyst 2 to 6 days after birth. Postnatal ultrasound and laparoscopic exploration were useful to identify an antenatal torsion of the ovarian-tube complex. All patients were treated with a laparoscopic approach using 3-mm ports after video-assisted percutaneous aspiration of the cyst.

Conclusions: Giant abdominal cysts in female neonates should be treated immediately in order to avoid respiratory distress and complications. The laparoscopic approach is useful to confirm the diagnosis and to choose the most suitable treatment; giant floating abdominal cysts are closely correlated with torsion or autoamputation of the ovarian-tube complex.