Abstract
Ovarian tumours in pregnancy are a diagnostic and management challenge that is increasingly
being faced by the clinician. While most masses are benign and resolve spontaneously,
there are others that persist and indicate the need for surgical management. Ultrasound
not only detects asymptomatic masses but also helps to guide their management based
on presence or absence of features suspicious of malignancy. The role of tumour markers
in pregnancy is limited due to their non-specific nature. Most masses treated in pregnancy
are benign (most commonly dermoids), and most malignancies are either of low malignant
potential or germ cell tumours, usually early stage disease. Surgical management is
indicated for symptomatic masses or those with increasing size or complexity indicating
possible malignancy. Both laparoscopy and laparotomy have similar results with regard
to obstetric outcome. Conservative management is preferred in the remainder. MRI may
help in better characterization of doubtful masses. National tumour registries can
help to establish guidelines.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: December 17, 2010
Accepted:
November 30,
2010
Received in revised form:
October 30,
2010
Received:
April 6,
2010
Identification
Copyright
© 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
