[Struma ovarii]

Abstract

Struma ovarii is a rare tumor in its pure form, but its true incidence is hard to estimate because of all the variation in the diagnostic criteria due to the fact that some authors reported it as within a teratoma and others only in its pure form. In general, it is an asymptomatic tumor, "benign-like" in most of the cases, and the diagnostic is based only on the histopathological findings.

Material and method: This is a retrospective study of all ovarian tumors treated in our departments over a period of 11 years, from January 1, 1995 to January 1, 2006.

Results: All medical records of 644 patients were reviewed, of which 502 patients (77.96%) with unilateral tumors and 142 (22.04%) with bilateral involvement. 879 tumors were removed: 88.39% benign and 11.61% malignant. Struma ovarii was demonstrated in 2 patients. The only complaint in these 2 patients diagnosed and treated in our clinics was pain in the lower abdomen. The clinical examination and ultrasound suggested ovarian tumors, but the diagnosis was made on the histopathological findings. Following surgical treatment (classic or laparoscopic) the postoperative course was excellent, confirming that this approach is the only practical solution.