[Gynaecological pelvic mass. Emergency clinical assessment]

The authors report the gynaecological pathology of surgical interest occurring in an Emergency Department in the first half of 2000 and occasionally found during an operation in women who presented a pelvic mass or abdominal pain.Six women, average age of 50 years, reached the Emergency Department: five of them were operated with an emergency procedure.Of the 6 cases, 1 patient was affected by uterine mass, 1 by uterine-ovarian mass and 3 by ovarian mass; in one patient, affected by ovarian tumour, another intervention was necessary for intestinal metastasis.The authors have considered the clinical aspect of the abdominal masses, the age of the patients, the diagnostic laboratory and instrumental implications, the surgical approach and the histological result, referring to literature. Their contribution is related to the need for an appropriate surgical approach in emergency where it may, sometimes, solve or, at least, stabilize an uncertain clinical case, thanks to the implicit basic knowledge of multidisciplinary surgical technique.