Benign ovarian tumors are very common today in women of childbearing age. One of these pathologies is ovarian cystadenoma - a small cyst (up to three centimeters), which is formed from epithelial tissue and prone to slow growth. At an early stage, the disease does not show symptoms. As cysts grow, women begin to experience pain in the abdomen. The only method of therapy today is the surgical removal of the neoplasm. In severe cases, the entire ovary and even the uterus with appendages must be removed.
Description of the problem in gynecology
Ovarian cystadenoma is a benign tumor with serous fluid inside . In half the cases, the disease is diagnosed in women who have menstrual irregularities. In 30% of cases, patients do not have such violations. During menopause, the development of pathology is not observed.
The disease is a tumor from the epithelial tissue of the ovary. The cyst is of limited size, it is not able to penetrate the surrounding tissues, as it grows, it pushes them apart and squeezes. Cystadenoma cells grow slowly, they do not spread metastasis.
Serous ovarian cystadenoma is located on the side of the uterus, it can reach sizes up to sixteen centimeters, in severe cases, the size of the tumor can be thirty centimeters. Usually, a pathology develops on one of the ovaries, while the cyst can be single-chamber or have many chambers in its structure. With the development of tumors, two ovaries immediately indicate the malignancy of the pathological process.
Varieties of neoplasms
Depending on the structure, the neoplasm can be of several types:
- Simple, or smooth-walled cystadenoma is most often single-chamber, the size of the neoplasm can range from one to thirty centimeters. The liquid inside it is yellow. This disease does not prevent the onset of pregnancy and its normal course when the tumor size does not exceed three centimeters.
- Papillary or papillary serous ovarian cystadenoma can transform into a malignant neoplasm, which occurs in 50% of all cases. This disease is characterized by proliferation of various forms on the walls of the ovary. The fluid inside the cyst has a brown tint. Inside the walls of the neoplasm there are growths, which in their structure resemble warts.
- Mucinous cystadenoma is characterized by the presence of thick mucus inside the cyst. This tumor grows quite quickly, in some cases, ovarian cystadenoma can be about fifty centimeters in size. Because of this, there is a risk of rupture of the walls of the cyst with the spread of mucus throughout the abdominal cavity. In medicine, there are cases when an extracted cyst reached a weight of thirty kilograms.
Reasons for the development of pathology
In modern medicine, the true causes of the formation of pathology have not been established. Some doctors tend to claim that the disease develops from an existing follicular ovarian cyst, which began to fill with serous fluid.
The following points are thought to influence cyst formation:
- Hereditary predisposition.
- Early puberty, in which the first menstruation began at the age of ten years.
- A hormonal disorder that prevents the egg from ripening normally. Such phenomena can occur with diseases of the endocrine system, prolonged stress, physical exertion, or with prolonged absence of sexual intercourse.
- The development of gynecological diseases of an inflammatory nature. At the same time, STDs are particularly dangerous, which arise during promiscuous sexual life.
- Pelvic surgery This is especially true for ectopic pregnancy, abortion, treatment of gynecological pathologies by the surgical method.
Usually, ovarian cystadenoma is diagnosed in women after thirty years, but there are cases of its detection in childhood.
Risk group
The risk group includes women who have such problems:
- early puberty;
- nicotine abuse;
- pathology of the reproductive organs;
- barrenness development for various reasons;
- the presence of late menopause;
- numerous abortions.
Symptoms of the disease
With a cyst size of up to three centimeters, signs of the disease do not appear. Usually, a neoplasm is accidentally diagnosed during a gynecological examination or during an ultrasound of the pelvic organs.
As the ovarian cystadenoma grows, it exhibits symptoms in the form of a pain syndrome due to the pressure of the tumor on adjacent organs and tissues. The pain can be dull or paroxysmal, it is localized in the groin, lower back or behind the pubis. Often a woman has a feeling of pressure in the bladder, rectum.
When the tumor reaches a large size, there is a disorder in the activity of adjacent organs as a result of their compression. This provokes an increase in urination, an increase in the abdomen, the appearance of a sensation of the presence of a foreign body, constipation, swelling of the extremities and nausea. Most often, with the development of a neoplasm, the woman’s menstrual cycle is not violated. But in the presence of a large cyst, its pressure on the ovary or uterus is possible, so the menstrual cycle may be violated, the discharge becomes abundant, they are accompanied by pain. Rarely, a woman has fatigue, weakness, irritability. Sometimes fluid accumulation in the abdominal cavity can occur, which also contributes to an increase in the abdomen and the development of adhesions between the sex glands.
Complications and consequences
Cystadenoma of the left ovary with untimely therapy can lead to the development of the following complications:
- The occurrence of acute diseases of the internal organs that are compressed by the tumor.
- The transformation of the neoplasm into a cancerous tumor.
- The development of ascites, adhesions and infertility.
The most dangerous consequence of the pathology is the twisting of the leg, which is accompanied by the development of tumor necrosis and damage to neighboring organs, as well as a rupture of the cyst, in which serous fluid enters the peritoneum, causing bleeding. All these complications require immediate surgical intervention, as they can threaten a person’s life.
Symptoms of complications
The following signs indicate a complication of the pathology:
- increase in body temperature;
- severe pain syndrome;
- headaches accompanied by dizziness;
- loss of consciousness;
- discharge of blood from the vagina;
- development of anxiety, panic;
- shortness of breath, increased heart rate.
If untreated, death occurs.
Diagnostic Methods
Ovarian cystadenoma involves a comprehensive diagnosis, which includes the use of the following examination methods:
- Gynecological examination, in which the doctor detects a painless neoplasm that has a smooth surface and clear boundaries.
- Laboratory blood tests for tumor markers to exclude the development of cancer or purulent infection in the ovaries and other pelvic organs.
- An ultrasound of the pelvic organs makes it possible to determine the size of the tumor and its localization.
- CT and MRI with the creation of a three-dimensional model of the neoplasm in order to exclude its germination in neighboring tissues and organs.
- Dopplerography for differentiation of a benign tumor from a cancer.
- Diagnostic laparoscopy.
- Fibrogastroduodenoscopy to exclude metastasis of a cancer tumor in the ovary, as well as to identify the involvement of the rectum in the pathological process. If it is impossible to use this diagnostic method, X-ray of the digestive tract is used.
The doctor differentiates cystadenomas from papillary cystomas, functional cysts, tubovarian abscesses, acute appendicitis, ectopic pregnancy, as well as other malformations.
Disease therapy
Ovarian cystadenoma treatment involves surgery. In gynecology, there is no data on the effectiveness of drug therapy. The doctor chooses the method of surgical intervention depending on the age of the woman, the presence or absence of pregnancy, as well as on the size of the neoplasm. The main goal of the operation is to preserve healthy tissues and prevent the development of infertility. With a small tumor, the doctor may prescribe hormone therapy to stop its growth. This is possible in the absence of disease progression. Whether or not to use surgical intervention, in each case, the doctor decides.
The main indication for surgery is the size of the tumor is more than six centimeters. It is also possible to remove ovarian cystadenomas in emergency cases, as described above. Routine surgery is often performed using the laparoscopy method. Also, the doctor may prescribe one of the following methods:
- Cisectomy, in which the neoplasm is removed, the ovary is preserved. In this case, the biological material is sent for histological examination. Such an operation is indicated for young women who are planning a pregnancy in the future, as well as in the presence of a cyst up to three centimeters in size. In this case, the ovarian cystadenoma has positive reviews, since the operation makes it possible to eliminate the problem, preserving the reproductive function.
- Adnexectomy is one-sided, in which the affected ovary is removed, in some cases with the fallopian tube. Such an operation is performed with a tumor size of more than three centimeters.
- Bilateral adnexectomy is used for bilateral damage to the ovaries. In this case, the operation reduces the risk of complications and cancer.
Pregnancy and surgery
Doctors say that it is necessary to plan a pregnancy after surgery after a full recovery of health, the rehabilitation period on average lasts about two months.
If a cyst is detected during pregnancy, surgery is possible with a large tumor. If the tumor does not exceed three centimeters in diameter, surgery is not performed, since in this case the fetus will not allow the tumor to grow. The cyst is removed after labor, if it begins to progress.
Folk therapy
Many people wonder how ovarian cystadenoma is treated with folk remedies. This disease is eliminated only by a surgical method, traditional medicine can be used as additional therapy. They help strengthen the body and slow the growth of cysts. To do this, before the operation, you can use the following tools:
- Tincture of acacia flowers on alcohol. Four tablespoons of flowers are poured with half a liter of alcohol and put in a dark place for one week. Then tincture is filtered and consumed one spoon three times a day.
- Ovarian cystadenoma alternative treatment involves the use of tinctures of dandelions in water. One spoon of the root of the plant is poured with a glass of boiling water and insisted for about fifteen minutes. Then the infusion is filtered and consumed in fifty grams twice a day for five days.
Forecast
According to patients' reviews, ovarian cystadenoma has a favorable prognosis provided timely treatment. If untreated, the risk of life-threatening complications is very high. The disease can lead to the development of a cancerous tumor, rupture of the cyst or its strong growth. After surgery, a woman should be under the supervision of a doctor for a period of time.
Prevention
For the purpose of prevention, doctors recommend the use of oral contraceptives, timely treatment of STDs and chronic pathologies of the genitourinary system, avoid abortion, and lead a healthy lifestyle.
According to many, today in gynecology a sufficient number of pathology treatment methods have been developed that allow women to have healthy children in the future, to have good health. Modern treatment makes it possible to reduce the risk of complications, including cancer, to prevent exacerbation of chronic diseases, to ensure rapid rehabilitation and recovery.