Ovarian cyst: types, diagnosis, treatment

It got its name from the Greek "κύστις" - a bubble, since a cyst is a formation resembling a bubble on a stem filled with liquid.

Ovarian cysts are a widespread disease in women of childbearing age. At the same time, 30% of cases of cyst formation are diagnosed in patients with a regular menstrual cycle and 50% with a disrupted one. During menopause, the disease can occur in 6% of women.

By their nature, cysts are divided into functional and organic. The first ones are temporary and are formed due to a minor malfunction of the ovary. A functional cyst is usually treated with oral hormonal drugs and self-destructs after one to two months. But there are also cysts that do not disappear for more than two months and require surgical intervention. They are commonly called organic.

Follicular. The cavity of the follicular cyst has thin walls with a smooth surface, with a diameter of two to seven centimeters. Sometimes several follicular cysts can form along the incision, but they are always single-chambered, without partitions.

Cyst of the corpus luteum. A cyst of a functional nature. The cyst of the corpus luteum has thickened walls and can be from two to seven centimeters in diameter. The inner surface of the cyst is often yellow, the contents are light, and with hemorrhages they are bloody.

Hemorrhagic. It is a consequence of hemorrhage inside the formed follicular cyst or corpus luteum cyst.

Endometrioid. It is formed when the tissues of the mucous membrane of the inner layer of the uterine wall grow in the ovaries. An endometrioid cyst is often filled with dark contents, blood, and its diameter ranges from two to several tens of centimeters.

Dermoid. It consists of parts of the embryonic germ sheets enclosed in a mucus-like mass, derivatives of connective tissue (fat, cartilage, skin). A dermoid cyst usually does not reach large sizes and grows slowly.

Mucinous. Benign epithelial tumor. The cavity of this cyst has an uneven surface and is filled with mucin, a slimy liquid that is the secret of the epithelium. A mucinous cyst can reach quite large sizes and have several chambers.

Serous. Benign epithelial tumor. The capsule surface is lined with serous epithelium. It contains a light straw-colored transparent liquid inside.

Epithelial tumors. They develop from the epithelial components of the ovary. They can be benign, borderline, or malignant.

Germinogenic tumors. They account for less than 5% of all neoplasms in the ovaries. At the same time, they are characterized by the most violent current. They are often quite large (more than fifteen centimeters).

There are quite a few reasons for the development of an ovarian cyst:

An ovarian cyst may have the following complications:

Specialists of the European Medical Center warn that it is very important to visit a gynecologist regularly (once a year) for timely diagnosis of pelvic pathology. In the case of an already identified ovarian cyst, the frequency of visits to the gynecologist is determined by the doctor individually.

The cyst is diagnosed by the following methods:

The choice of cyst treatment depends on the nature of the cyst, its type, and the presence of complications. The most common functional cysts are usually treated with oral hormonal medications. Treatment of these cysts can take from two to three months, depending on the size of the formation. At the same time, the dynamics of treatment is monitored using ultrasound. If drug treatment is ineffective, surgical intervention is recommended.

The surgical method is more often used as the main one for the treatment of complex organic cysts. Modern technologies assume laparoscopic intervention in such cases, which allows minimally damaging healthy tissues, minimizing complications from surgery and minimizing the duration of hospitalization to 1-2 days. In any case, during the operation, doctors will try to preserve the patient's ovary and reproductive capabilities as much as possible.