Ovarian tissue banking for cancer patients - Reduction of post-transplantation ischaemic injury: intact ovary freezing and transplantation

Despite reasonable achievements in different animal species, the debate about many technical aspects of ovarian tissue banking is continuing. Human ovarian tissue banks are increasingly established around the world without a clear plan about how to make the best use of such tissue. One of the important challenges facing this growing technology is to determine the ideal method for the use of this cryopreserved ovarian tissue. It is not uncommon in medicine to introduce a technology without a clear understanding of the consequences. If it is decided that ovarian tissue is to be autotransplanted, what is the most suitable place? Which technique should be implemented? As a part of the ongoing debate on ovarian tissue banking in cancer patients, this paper supports the notion that cryopreservation of an intact ovary with its vascular pedicle may be a viable alternative to the currently available techniques. Research in the development of technology to cryopreserve whole organs as well surgical techniques for the auto-transplantation of an ovary with its vascular pedicle should be encouraged.