OVARIAN TORSION - CLINICAL AND IMAGING PRESENTATION IN CHILDREN

Ovarian torsion is uncommon and has a nonspecific clinical presentatio n, To determine the impact of imaging on clinical management, the auth ors reviewed their recent experience with 12 children who had a total of 13 episodes of ovarian torsion. Three children presented as neonate s, six were premenarchal, and three were postmenarchal. Ultrasound was the imaging study of choice, In all three neonates, ultrasonography s howed complex abdominopelvic cysts indicating the need for surgery. In five of 10 episodes in older patients, ultrasonography showed a solid mass with an appearance strongly suggestive of torsion. Same day surg ery was performed in three patients, and the involved ovary was salvag ed in one. Another patient had a small piece of normal-appearing ovary left in situ. This low rate of ovarian salvage is attributable to the combination of delay in patient presentation and surgical delay owing to the often nonspecific clinical and imaging presentation of ovarian torsion. A high level of clinical suspicion, expeditious imaging, and familiarity with the varied clinical and imaging presentations of ova rian torsion should decrease the surgical delay and improve the likeli hood of ovarian salvage. Copyright (C) 1995 by W.B. Saunders Company.