title: Evaluation of diagnostic value of CT scan, physical examination and ultrasound based on pathological findings in patients with pelvic masses.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Because benign and malignant cervical and ovarian masses occur with different percentages in different age groups, the importance of primary diagnosis and selection of a suitable surgical procedure is underlined. Diagnosis of pelvic masses is carried out using ultrasound, physical examination, CT scan and MRI. The objective of this study is to evaluate the diagnostic value of CT scan in pelvic masses in comparison with physical examination-ultrasound based on pathology of the lesion in patients undergoing laparotomic surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  This analytic-descriptive study focused on age, sonographic findings, physical examinations, CT scan and pathological findings in 139 patients with pelvic mass, gathered with questionnaires and statistically analayzed using the SPSS software programme.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 139 patients with pelvic mass (patients aged from 17 to 75 years old), 62 (44%) cases were diagnosed as benign and 77 (55.4%) as malignant; among them malignant tratoma serocyst adenocarsinoma with 33 (23.7%) cases and benign myoma with 21 (15.2%) cases comprised the most frequent cases. The sensitivity and specificity of sonography-physical examination were 51.9% and 87.9% respectively and the sensitivity and specificity of CT scan images were 79.2% and 91.6% respectively. It was shown that CT scan images were more consistant with pathological findings in predicting appropriate surgical procedures than do sonography-physical examinations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The sensitivity of CT scan is far higher than that of sonography-physical examination in the diagnosis of pelvic mass malignancy.
authors: Obstetrics Gynecology Department, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Science, Yazd, Iran.
authors: Razieh Dehghani
authors: RD
authors: Firoozabadi
authors: Mojgan
authors: M
authors: Karimi Zarchi
authors: Hamid Reza
authors: HR
authors: Mansurian
authors: Bita Rafiei
authors: BR
authors: Moghadam
authors: Soraya
authors: S
authors: Teimoori
authors: Ali
authors: A
authors: Naseri
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D010388:Pelvis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D010808:Physical Examination; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014463:Ultrasonography; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D055815:Young Adult