AbstractsMedical & Health Science

Young women who suffer from cancer have a high change of becoming infertile as a consequence of the treatment. They would benefit from an effective fertility preservation method that allows natural conception. A new method, called autotransplantation of ovarian tissue, has much potential but improvements can be made. The method entails that ovarian tissue is harvested before treatment and frozen until future use. When the patient is in remission the tissue is transplanted back into the patient, which will allow the patient to become pregnant in a natural way. In order to improve the success rate and facilitate further research, a new technique for harvesting ovarian fragments was researched. The goal of this study was to develop a technique to harvest ovarian tissue fragments with controlled dimensions in a minimally invasive way. The technique had to satisfy two functions, namely holding the ovary and removing a tissue fragment. A concept technique was developed where suction was used to hold the ovary and a knife was used to cut a tissue fragment with an impulse. An experimental set-up was developed to test this concept technique. The use of the set-up with chicken filet showed a proof of principle. The efficacy of the concept technique was proven, as well as the accuracy and precision of the length of the obtained fragments. However, the set-up was not effective in producing fragments origination from ovarian tissue. Suggestions for future research include the use of active suction to hold the ovary and a reciprocating knife to cut a tissue fragment.