Transvaginal ultrasonography in the diagnosis of cystic teratoma.

OBJECTIVE

To assess prospectively the role of transvaginal ultrasonography in screening for cystic teratoma and in differentiating cystic teratoma from other ovarian masses.

METHODS

Three hundred seventy-six premenopausal non-pregnant women underwent transvaginal ultrasonography 1 week before undergoing laparotomy or laparoscopy. The visualization of localized or diffuse echogenicity was chosen as the characteristic ultrasonographic finding of cystic teratoma. Endosonographic diagnosis was compared with surgical and pathologic findings.

RESULTS

Sensitivity and specificity for the ultrasonographic screening were 57.9 and 99.7%, respectively, calculated for each visualized ovary (n = 659), and 84.6 and 98.2%, respectively, for differentiating cystic teratoma from other ovarian masses, calculated for each visualized cyst (n = 123).

CONCLUSION

Transvaginal ultrasonography has a better predictive ability for differentiating cystic teratoma from other ovarian masses (kappa value 0.84) than in screening for cystic teratomas (kappa value 0.69).