SAFETY OF TRANSVAGINAL FINE-NEEDLE PUNCTURE OF GYNECOLOGIC MASSES - AREPORT AFTER 500 CONSECUTIVE PROCEDURES

Transvaginal sonographically guided puncture may be used for diagnosti c and therapeutic purpose in general gynecology and in oncology. To de fine the complication rate of this technique, 500 consecutive procedur es were reviewed; 289 procedures were on cystic masses, 146 on solid t umors, 34 on mixed tumors, and 31 on other lesions. No life-threatenin g complications occurred. Early mild and self-limited complications de veloped in eight procedures (1.6%). Short-term complications occurred in four cases (0.8%; two infections, one pelvic pain, one hemorrage); two of these required surgery. Transvaginal sonographically guided pun cture is safe and does not entail a higher risk of infection than tran sabdominal punctures.