Diagnostic performance of transvaginal gray-scale ultrasound for specific diagnosis of benign ovarian cysts in relation to menopausal status

In this study we aimed to assess the diagnostic accuracy of transvaginal ultrasound for assigning a specific diagnosis to benign adnexal masses in pre- and postmenopausal women. The study comprised 2146 adnexal masses in 1980 women. 1420 women were premenopausal and 560 were postmenopausal. Specific diagnosis of presumed histology of the lesion using gray-scale ultrasound findings was provided based on examiner's impression. Definitive diagnosis was obtained in all cases. Sensitivity and specificity for each diagnosis were calculated in both pre and postmenopausal women. Specificity for malignant tumors was significantly higher in premenopausal women (p < 0.001). Sensitivity for endometrioma (p < 0.05) and hemorrhagic cyst (p < 0.01) was significantly higher in premenopausal women. There was a trend for a higher sensitivity for serous cyst in postmenopausal women (p = 0.09). We conclude that the diagnostic performance of transvaginal gray-scale ultrasound for specific diagnosis of adnexal masses based on examiner's impression is different in premenopausal and postmenopausal women.