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. 2023 Jan 22;15(1):e34059.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.34059. eCollection 2023 Jan.

Anatomic Distribution of Benign Ovarian Tumors in Perimenopausal and Postmenopausal Women

Michail Matalliotakis  1 , Charoula Matalliotaki  1 , Konstantinos Krithinakis  1 , Aggelos Laliotis  2 , Georgios Kapetanios  3 , Ioannis Tsakiridis  3 , Ioannis Kalogiannidis  3
Affiliations

Anatomic Distribution of Benign Ovarian Tumors in Perimenopausal and Postmenopausal Women

Michail Matalliotakis et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Introduction We aim to report the histotypes and reassess the anatomic distribution of benign ovarian tumors in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women. Methods Medical and pathology reports of women with histologically confirmed benign ovarian pathology were investigated. Data were collected, retrospectively between 2000 and 2020, and analyzed from perimenopausal and postmenopausal women with benign ovarian tumors, after bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (BSO) with or without total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH). The ovarian masses histology and the distribution of locations were further evaluated. Results The total sample consisted of 1,355 women with benign ovarian tumors; 929 (68.6%) of the perimenopausal and 426 (31.4%) of the postmenopausal age. A dermoid cyst was prominent in the right ovary (52.8%), compared to the left side (41%) (p<0.01). Conversely, in patients with endometriomas and cysts of Morgagni, the observed proportion was more prominent in the left-sided ovary (61.8% vs 27%; p<0.001 and 52.3% vs 36.4%; p<0.01, respectively). Moreover, in the perimenopausal women, we mostly detected endometrioma (18.3%), dermoid cyst (15.5%) and cyst of Morgagni (4%) compared to postmenopausal women, where serous cysts (29.8%) and ovarian fibroids (8%) were the most common tumors. Conclusions Benign ovarian tumors are frequently seen in perimenopausal women and most histotypes present anatomical differences between the left and right ovaries. Serous cysts, followed by paraovarian, dermoid cysts and endometrioma present the commonest ovarian benign masses. Gynecologists should pay special attention to adnexal tumors in the postmenopausal period to choose the right operating setting for women at risk for ovarian cancer.

Keywords: adnexal mass; anatomic distribution; benign ovarian tumors; perimenopause; postmenopause.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Histological distribution of benign ovarian tumors of our whole sample analysis.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Anatomical distribution of ovarian masses (total sample).
Figure 3
Figure 3. Age-related difference in distribution of ovarian masses.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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