Jul 23, 2019
Vidcast: https://youtu.be/SHRYPwngED4
No one likes the prospect of surgery. If you’ve been diagnosed with an ovarian cyst and your doctors have recommended removal, a new study suggests that an operation may not be necessary for every cyst.
Ovarian cysts are little balloon-like bumps that arise on the surface of the ovaries. They are discovered with ultrasound scans when abdominal pain or bloating occurs. The ultrasounds can determine if the cysts appear harmless or likely cancerous.
Many doctors recommend that any ovarian cyst be removed due to a risk of cancer developing or the cyst causing an ovary to twist. A new multi-national study just published in The Lancet Oncology instead recommends watchful waiting and regular ultrasound imaging for those cysts that do appear benign.
Their study of almost 2,000 women with cysts suggests that surgery for every cyst may have more risks than benefits. Twenty percent of ovarian cysts disappear on their own and cancer or ovarian twisting only occurred in less than one-half of one percent of women. On the other hand, the risk of complications from surgical removal ranged from between 3 to 15%.
Ovarian cysts may be followed without surgery, but you must commit to careful followup with regular ultrasound or scan imaging. Should there be any question of a suspicious lesion, immediate surgery is then a must.
Imperial College London. "Ovarian cysts should be 'watched' rather than removed, study suggests." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 5 February 2019. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/02/190205185156.htm
#Ovariancyst #ultrasound #ovariantorsion