Preoperative ultrasound assessment of adnexal masses in premenopausal women

Objectives: This study was undertaken to determine the accuracy of preoperative transvaginal ultrasound in predicting ovarian histopathology in premenopausal women. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed from reproductive-age women that underwent removal of an ovarian cyst between May 1990 and April 1998. Results: Of the 120 consecutive patients identified, 19 did not meet inclusion criteria. Pathologic diagnosis confirmed endometriomas (n=55), mature teratoma (n=25), serous cystadenoma (n=18), persistent corpus luteum (n=7) and other (n=5). The primary preoperative transvaginal ultrasound impression was accurate in most cases (endometrioma: 85%, mature teratoma: 86%, serous cystadenoma: 80%). Conclusion: Endometriomas and mature cystic teratomas can be predicted with a moderate degree of accuracy by preoperative ultrasound. Copyright (C) 1999 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.