EVALUATION OF OVARIAN-TUMORS IN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN BY TRANSVAGINAL SONOGRAPHY

Objective: The aim of the present study was the evaluation of simple r eproducible sonomorphological criteria for the preoperative evaluation of ovarian tumors in postmenopausal women by use of transvaginal sono graphy. Study design: Postmenopausal women (greater than or equal to 1 year of secondary amenorrhea) with ovarian tumors (n=378; tumors grea ter than or equal to 3 cm and <3 cm but with solid parts) were examine d in a prospective study by transvaginal sonography prior to surgery b etween 1987 and 1993. The sonomorphological criteria were correlated w ith the histological findings of the tumors. Results: Of all ovarian t umors in postmenopausal women, 6.3% were functional cysts (follicular or corpus luteum cysts). Almost all of them were detected within the f irst 5 years of postmenopause. The other ovarian tumors were diagnosed as retention cysts (17.5%), benign neoplasms (39.4%), and malignant t umors (36.8%). Simple ovarian cysts (monolocular, smooth inner wall) r epresented sonomorphologically the second most frequent type of ovaria n tumors in postmenopausal women (35.7%). Of these tumors, 9.6% were d iagnosed as malignant. Conclusions: Simple reproducible sonomorphologi cal criteria proved to be a useful clinical parameter in the preoperat ive evaluation of ovarian tumors. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ireland Lt d.