[The role of transvaginal ultrasonography in the screening of ovarian tumors].

BACKGROUND: From January 1992 to March 1996, 1987 women underwent vaginal sonography screening, at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of the II Faculty of Medicine and Surgery "Federico II" in Naples. This mass screening aimed at early diagnosis of ovarian cancer.

METHODS: Patients included in this investigations were all asymptomatic and had no pelvic abnormalities. Each ovary was measured in three planes and ovarian volume was calculated using the prolate ellipsoid formula. In premenopausal women, ovaries were normal if their volume was of > or = 18 cm3 and if they were hypoechogenic or anechogenic. In postmenopausal women a normal ovary was defined as having a volume of > or = 8 cm3 and a uniformly hypogenic internal structure.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: In thirty-five premenopausal women was detected an abnormal volume of the ovaries. Forty-six postmenopausal women had abnormal vaginal sonograms. In this investigations vaginal sonography has permitted the detection of about 4.88% ovarian tumors in asymptomatic women, so that, it can be considered a more accurate and direment screening method for ovarian cancer than abdominal sonography.