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Giant Ovarian Cyst Mimicking Ascites
Giant Ovarian Cyst Mimicking Ascites
Journal
A 60-year-old female patient presented to our clinic with complaints of abdominal
distention. The rapid accumulation of fluid was originally thought to be ascites, based
on ultrasonographic examination. The cause, however, was ultimately determined to
be a borderline malignant giant ovarian cyst. Several processes can mimick ascites:
bladder distention or diverticulum, hydronephrosis, pancreatic pseudocysts, and
large uterine or ovarian tumors. For this reason, clinicians must consider processes
other than ascites in the differential diagnosis of large abodominal fluid
accumulation.
In our patient, the cyst caused cachexia. The patient's loss of appetite and weight
and the accelerated ESR hinted at the possibility of an inflammatory or neoplastic
process. The ESR returned to normal after laparotomy. Based on its high albumin
content, the abdominal fluid was judged to be an exudate.
SUMMARY:
The fluid-filled sac, which usually develops on the surface of an ovary, is a problem
that affects many women. This is also called the ovarian cyst, and there are known a
lot of different types, depending on the cause that provoked them. These ovarian
cysts can show no symptoms at all, or they can cause serious health problems.
Situated on either side of the uterus, the ovaries have a walnut-size, and are nestled
under the fringed ends of the fallopian or uterine tubes. During the menstrual cycle,
an egg will be developed and matured by an ovary, and when the ovulation takes
place, the egg is released and it travels through the uterine tubes to reach the center
of the uterus.
Most of the ovarian cysts aren’t dangerous, they are the so called functional cysts.
Studies revealed that between 4% and 10% of the childbearing age women develop
polycystic ovarian syndrome. The effects of that syndrome are infertility, increased
risk of diabetes, uterine or breast cancer, excessive body hair, persistent acne, and
other.
Ovarian cysts may cause pelvic pain, they may burst, bleed, or twist the ovary.
Especially if the pain is associated with fever and vomiting, visiting the doctor is a
necessary fact.
There are some ovarian cysts that can become cancerous. They appear especially at
women who are in their fifth decade of life. It is known that cancerous cysts are not
painful unless they are very big in size. It is recommended that women take annual
pelvic exams, so they can detect cancer in early stages.
REACTION:
It is quite difficult to know if you have cysts or not, because many cysts don’t have
symptoms, and very often, vague abdominal symptoms may suggest other
problems. For example, intestinal inflammation or obstruction, kidney stone, gall
bladder disease or appendicitis develop similar symptoms to painful ovarian cysts.
There are some gynecologic problems with those symptoms too: endometriosis,
ectopic or tubal pregnancy, pelvic inflammatory disease, and also mittleschmirtz.
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References
(1.)Frank BW. Abdominal distention and ascites. In: Friedman HH, ed. Problem-
oriented medical diagnosis. 5th ed. Boston/Toronto: Little, Brown, 1991:198--202.