Salpingectomy for ovarian cancer prevention: Video education for the surgeon

Abstract

Given the unremitting obstacles to effectively screen for and treat ovarian cancer (OC), prevention is a necessary countermeasure. The recent discovery of the fallopian tube as the origin of the most common and deadly type of OC, high grade serous cancer (HGSC), makes prevention through salpingectomy possible (Madsen et al., 2015). Opportunistic salpingectomy (OS) is the practice of removing the post-reproductive fallopian tubes at the time of other intraperitoneal surgery, or for sterilization in lieu of tubal ligation, to decrease OC risk (Falconer et al., 2015). The safety, effectiveness, and reach of OS as a primary prevention strategy depends on the knowledge mobilization of a standard surgical approach for surgeons (Hanley et al., 2017; Morelli et al., 2013). Resources for accomplishing this knowledge mobilization activity are needed. We therefore aim to create a peer-reviewed, publicly available surgical instructional video that facilitates standardization of the practice of salpingectomy for the purpose of OC prevention.Content creation was generated by a team of surgeon stakeholders, medical illustrators, instructional designers, and health education specialists. Expert gynecologic surgeons were filmed performing salpingectomy in order to build a video library. Accurate illustration and editing of live video footage was executed to support surgeons in visualizing key anatomic landmarks to ensure safe and complete fallopian tube excision. Review of eligibility criteria, fundamentals of preoperative counseling, and strategic and technical points were prioritized. This endeavor is strictly educational, with no commercial benefit. Publicly available, peer-reviewed surgical education tools will help us collaborate to safely and equitably expand OS within and beyond the current scope of surgical practice.

Keywords

• Salpingectomy
• Prevention
• Ovarian cancer
• Surgery