Jl. Alcazar et al., BLOOD-FLOW IN FUNCTIONAL CYSTS AND BENIGN OVARIAN NEOPLASMS IN PREMENOPAUSAL WOMEN, Journal of ultrasound in medicine, 16(12), 1997, pp. 819-824
To assess the value of transvaginal color Doppler sonography in the di
fferentiation of functional cysts from benign ovarian neoplasms in pre
menopausal women, 100 premenopausal women with the diagnosis of adnexa
l mass were enrolled in a prospective study. All patients underwent tr
ansvaginal color Doppler sonography during the follicular phase. We ev
aluated 107 masses. Tumor volume and morphology were assessed, as were
tumor blood flow location, the number of vessels, the resistive and p
ulsatility indices, and the peak systolic velocity. Patients were foll
owed up after 8 to 10 weeks by transvaginal sonography. Functional cys
ts were considered when spontaneous resolution occurred. Surgery was p
erformed if a tumor enlarged or persisted after hive scans. Thirty-nin
e (36.5%) cysts regressed spontaneously and 68 (63.5%) were removed su
rgically. Seven of the latter were follicular or luteal cysts and were
considered to be functional cysts. No carcinoma was found. Arterial b
lood flow was detected in 28 (60.8%) functional cysts and in 42 (68.8%
) benign neoplasms (P = 0.3446). The vessels were located peripherally
in 27 (94.6%) functional cysts and in 37 (88.1%) benign neoplasms (P
= 0.2226). No differences were found between functional cysts and beni
gn neoplasms in mean resistive index (0.65, 95% confidence interval: 0
.59 to 0.71 versus 0.64, 95% confidence interval: 0.60 to 0.69), mean
pulsatility index (1.47, 95% confidence interval: 1.17 to 1.84 versus
1.57, 95% confidence interval: 1.26 to 1.86), number of vessels (1.1,
95% confidence interval: 0.7 to 1.3 versus 1.4, 95% confidence interva
l: 1.1 to 1.8), and peak systolic velocity (28.6 cm/s, 95% confidence
interval: 24.7 to 34.2 versus 24.9 cm/s, 95% confidence interval: 21.6
to 28.3). We concluded that transvaginal color Doppler sonography is
not useful to discriminate between functional ovarian cysts and benign
ovarian neoplasms in premenopausal women.