TRANSABDOMINAL ULTRASOUND AND ITS CORRELATION WITH CLINICAL FINDINGS IN GYNECOLOGY

Details of 86 patients with a pelvic mass who underwent a laparotomy u nder the gynaecological service in St. Vincent's Hospital were reviewe d. Findings at laparotomy were correlated with ultrasound findings. Ov erall, ultrasound appears to be more sensitive and specific in the det ermination of the origins of a pelvic mass compared to clinical examin ation. The sensitivity and specificity of ultrasound in detecting a ut erine mass is 94 per cent and 99 per cent respectively. This contrasts sharply with clinical examination (sensitivity = 74 per cent; specifi city = 94 per cent). The sensitivity and specificity of ultrasound in detecting an ovarian mass is 92 per cent and 71 per cent. Ultrasound i s capable of predicting benign disease with reasonable confidence but the prediction of malignancy is less reliable.