RESUMEN
Background: Laparoscopic surgery has clear advantages over open surgical procedures. In gynecology, laparoscopic surgery for adnexal masses in pre or post menopausal women has been used for several years. Aim: To report the experience with gynecologic laparoscopic surgery at the Temuco Regional Hospital. Patients and methods: Between 1996 and 1998, laparoscopic surgery was done in 96 patients aged 16 to 56 years and open surgery in 56 patients aged 15 to 74 years, with a clinical or ultrasound diagnosis of adnexal masses or ovarian dermoid cysts. Results: The most frequent tumors excised were epithelial and germinal cell. Laparoscopic surgery required a mean operative time of 69.9 min and it had a 3.1 percent of complications. Women subjected to this type of surgery had a mean hospital stay of 3.1 days and the mean postoperative stay was 2 days. Open surgery required an operative time of 69 min and it had no postoperative complications. The mean hospital stay for women subjected to this type of procedure was 9.5 days. Conclusions: Women subjected to laparoscopic surgical procedures for adnexal masses had a shorter hospital stay than women subjected to open surgical procedures