To evaluate the feasibility and role of secondary surgery in ovarian cancer, a retrospective chart review was conducted on 98 patients treated for ovarian carcinoma at our institution between 1992 and 1996. Overall, 80 surgical procedures were performed in 68 patients: 4 patients (5%) underwent reassessment surgery following inappropriate primary surgical procedure; 20 patients (25%) in complete or partial response after first-line chemotherapy underwent interval debulking surgery; 42 patients (52%) without clinical evidence of disease at the completion of first-line chemotherapy underwent second-look laparotomy, and 14 of them received some kind of cytoreduction; 14 patients (18%) underwent cytoreductive surgery at the time of recurrent disease. Secondary surgery in its different forms is feasible in ovarian carcinoma and is associated with a low rate of complications. The proper indication for each of the multiple options for secondary surgery in ovarian carcinoma, however, still remains to be elucidated.