Emergency operation saves newborn from infertility

At 35th week of pregnancy, Tamara Levi came to the “Hadassah” clinic for her regular ultrasound. No one expected that shortly after the examination, she would undergo a cesarean section, and then her newborn daughter would have to undergo a complex operation just half an hour after birth.

The reason was that during the ultrasound, a rare condition was detected in the baby: bilateral adnexal torsion, complicated by cysts in both ovaries. Dr. Shai Porat, the Head of the Gynecological and Obstetric Ultrasound department, was called in to conduct a more in-depth investigation and realized that every second was bringing the baby closer to losing fertility.

“This condition is usually found in girls and women. The ovary twists around its axis, cutting off the blood supply. This leads to the loss of the ovary within a few hours. Moreover, this condition causes intense pain. After losing both ovaries, a woman will never be able to conceive using her own eggs; she will have to use donor eggs and undergo hormone therapy for many years. I knew we had little time,” explained Dr. Shai Porat.

Dr. Porat consulted with Dr. Ofek Shlomai, the Head of the Neonatal and Premature department, and with Dr. Dan Arbel, the Head of the Pediatric Oncological Surgery department. The medical team decided on an emergency cesarean section and subsequent surgery to save the girl’s fertility.

The operation was performed right in the incubator in the neonatal intensive care unit. Fortunately, after the blood vessel blockage was eliminated, and the cysts were removed, the ovaries quickly returned to normal function.

From left to right: Dr. Porat, Dr. Arbel, and Dr. Shlomai with the newborn in her arms.