title: Preoperative evaluation of ovarian tumors in the premenopause by transvaginosonography.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the study was to establish reproducible sonomorphologic criteria by use of transvaginosonography in the preoperative evaluation of ovarian tumors in the premenopause.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a prospective study from 1987 to 1993 we investigated 1072 ovarian tumors. All tumors > or = 3 cm were included in the study. To avoid unnecessary operations, all tumors we rescanned after 6 weeks. The sonomorphologic criteria were correlated with the histologic findings.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 4.3% of ovarian tumors in the premenopause were malignant. In the special group of sonographically simple ovarian cysts we found 0.8% malignancies. The incorporation of a control scan after 6 weeks in the management of ovarian cysts reduces the number of unnecessary operations on functional cysts. Only 5.5% of the functional tumors were operated on. The risk for malignancy in cystic-solid ovarian tumors is 17.0%, the highest of all sonomorphologic tumor types.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The use of reproducible sonomorphologic criteria in combination with a control scan in premenopausal women with ovarian cysts proved to be efficient to reduce the number of unnecessary operations and to evaluate the risk for malignancy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Osmers
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Osmers
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: von Maydell
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kuhn
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010048:Ovarian Cysts / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D017697:Premenopause; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014463:Ultrasonography