The role of transvaginal ultrasonography combined with color velocity imaging and pulsed Doppler in the diagnosis of endometrioma.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the diagnostic accuracy of transvaginal ultrasonography alone and combined with color velocity imaging and pulsed Doppler in differentiating ovarian endometriomas from other nonendometriotic masses.

DESIGN: Prospective study with pathological confirmation of sonographic diagnosis.

SETTING: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at a university hospital.

PATIENT(S): A series of 78 consecutive patients diagnosed as having an adnexal mass and scheduled for surgery, between January 1995 and March 1996.

INTERVENTION(S): Transvaginal ultrasonography and color velocity imaging and pulsed Doppler was performed before surgery in all patients. A total of 82 masses were diagnosed (four patients had bilateral masses). CA-125 plasma levels were measured in all patients. Ultrasound diagnosis was compared with definitive histopathological diagnosis.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): The presence of a round-shaped homogeneous cyst with low-level echoes was considered as sonographic diagnosis of ovarian endometrioma. The typical vascular pattern from endometrioma was considered as "pericystic flow at the level of the ovarian hilius." The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were calculated for transvaginal ultrasonography alone and combined with color velocity imaging and pulsed Doppler.

RESULT(S): Twenty-seven (32.9%) of the 82 masses were proven to be ovarian endometriomas. Morphological assessment diagnosed correctly 24 (88.9%) of 27 endometriomas (false-positive rate: 9%). Typical flow pattern was present in 90.5% of endometriomas (false-positive rate: 80%). CA-125 levels in patients with endometrioma (45.6 +/- 6.3 U/mL; mean +/- SEM) were significantly higher than in patients with nonendometriotic masses (26.5 +/- 5.5 U/mL). The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of transvaginal ultrasonography alone and combined with color velocity imaging and pulsed Doppler were 88.9%, 91%, 84.2%, and 94.5%, and 76.2%, 88.9%, 82.4%, and 82.4%, respectively. For CA-125 levels, using a cutoff > or = 35 U/mL, these figures were 79.3%, 84.6%, 79.3%, and 84.6%, respectively.

CONCLUSION(S): The use of color velocity imaging and pulsed Doppler does not improve the diagnostic accuracy of transvaginal ultrasonography alone in the diagnosis of ovarian endometrioma.