PEIR Digital Library

Welcome to the Pathology Education Informational Resource (PEIR) Digital Library, a multidisciplinary public access image database for use in medical education.

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RADIOLOGY: FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE: Case# 32915: POLYCYSTIC OVARY DISEASE: BILATERAL OVARIAN CYSTS. This is a 34 year old female with high blood pressure. A CT has been requested to rule out metastases. There is a round slightly low attenuation well-circumscribed mass measuring 7 x 4cm in the right adnexa and a similar mass 6 x 4cm in the left adnexa. Ovaries are not distinctly seen separate from this. No other masses or enlarged lymph nodes are identified. Benign ovarian cysts appear as well-defined, thin-walled homogeneous masses with internal density near that of water. They are avascular, and fluid-fluid levels are detectable. Internal contents move with changes in position. Functional cysts are the most common type of ovarian cysts and usually resolve after one to two menstrual cycles. In polycycstic ovary disease, cysts are usually bilateral. On CT, both ovaries are enlarged and contain multiple cysts. Sometimes cysts are too small to be detected on CT, but ovaries appear enlarged. Clinical findings in polycystic ovary disease include obesity, hirsutism, and amenorrhea. Occasionally, pelvic inflammatory disease and endometriosis may present with cystic masses, however, these may be diagnosed on the basis of clinical history.