Clinical Characteristics of Adnexal Masses in Korean Children and Adolescents: Retrospective Analysis of 409 Cases

Study ObjectiveTo analyze the clinical characteristics of young Korean female children and adolescents who underwent surgery because of adnexal masses during the last 14 years.DesignRetrospective cohort study (Canadian Task Force classification II-2).SettingUniversity hospital.PatientsThree hundred ninety-six young female patients aged 20 years or younger who underwent surgery because of adnexal masses between January 1995 and March 2009.InterventionsNone.Measurements and Main ResultsFor over 14 years, 396 young patients underwent 409 operations because of adnexal masses (13 patients underwent 2 separate operations). Abdominal pain (n = 184 [45.0%]) was the most common initial symptom and was more frequent in group 1 (<11 years of age; n = 26 [70.4%]) than in group 2 (11–20 years of age; n = 370; [ 43.2%]) (p <.01). In group 2, menstrual problems were the second most common initial symptom (n = 80 [20.9%]), followed by incidental detection (n = 57; [14.9%]). In patients with malignant neoplasms, the incidence of menstrual problems was lower (p <.01) and abdominal distention was more common (p <.01) than in patients with benign neoplasms. The incidence of malignant neoplasms in our study was 14.9% and was correlated with increased mass size (p <.01).ConclusionKnowing the clinical characteristics of young Korean females with adnexal masses will provide insight into the evaluation and surgical management of children and adolescents.