Surgical pathology of small ovarian cysts

1.1. A study is presented of 203 ovarian cysts other than endometriosis and less than 5 cm. in diameter removed over a two-year period at an open-staff general hospital.2.2. The incidence of neoplastic cysts in the series was 13, or 6.4 per cent.3.3. All of the cysts found in postmenopausal women were neoplastic.4.4. The incidence of neoplastic cysts in 198 premenopausal patients was 8, or 4 per cent. The incidence of neoplastic cysts in the 33 premenopausal patients operated upon primarily for ovarian cyst was 3, or 9.1 per cent. In the 165 cases, in which the ovarian cyst was found incidentally, 5, or 3.1 per cent, were neoplastic.5.5. No malignant neoplastic cysts were present in this series.6.6. Rapid increase in size of a cyst to approximately 5 cm. when observed over a period of three months or more, and fixation of the cyst, were observed in 2 of the 3 neoplastic cysts in patients in whom ovarian cyst was the primary indication for operation.7.7. Functional cysts constituted 93.6 per cent of the entire series and 96 per cent in the premenopausal group but were not found at all in the postmenopausal group.