Ultrasound assessment of polycystic ovaries: Ovarian volume and morphology; which is more accurate in making the diagnosis?!

Abstract

Introduction and aim of the work: Polycystic ovaries (PCO) are a common problem among females. As ultrasound examination of such cases is easy, available, cheap and less invasive than hormonal assessment, it is commonly used in patients with suspected PCO. However, in practice, Ultrasound findings are sometimes equivocal when some patients have normal ovarian volume but with abnormal ovarian morphology. Herein, the study aimed to compare the strength of measuring ovarian volume in patients with PCO versus the ovarian morphology and whether one finding alone could make the diagnosis. Materials and methods: Ninety patients with clinically and laboratory diagnosed PCO and 90 age matched controls were enrolled in the study. Transabdominal and transvaginal ultrasound was done for assessment of ovarian volume and morphology. Results: In patients, 16 (8.8%) ovaries showed normal morphological appearance while the rest (91.1%) showed morphological picture of PCO in the form of detection of 10 or more cysts of 2–8 mm in diameter peripherally arranged around an echodense stroma. Conclusion: Ovarian morphological is more reliable than ovarian volume in diagnosing patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome.

Keywords

• Polycystic ovaries
• Ultrasound
• Infertility
• Transabdominal
• Transvaginal