Diagnostic Accuracy of Frozen Section in Ovarian Tumors: A 12-Year Review

Background and objective: To determine the diagnostic accuracy and pitfalls of frozen section in ovarian tumors in one of the largest university affiliated gynecologic oncology centers in Tehran, and determine the cause of discrepancies. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the results of frozen section and permanent diagnoses of ovarian masses by reviewing the reports in the department of Pathology of Imam Hussein Hospital from 1997 to 2009. Results: Among 1498 cases of ovarian lesions, only 187 patients had both frozen and paraffin section diagnoses (age range 10-82 yr). 71.7% of these cases had complete concordance, 26.7% had partial and 1.6% had no concordance. The overall sensitivity and specificity of frozen section diagnosis were 100% and 99.3%, respectively. The sensitivity of frozen section diagnosis for benign, borderline, and malignant lesions was 99.3%, 100% and 94.9%; and the specificities were 100%, 98.9% and 99.3% respectively. Conclusion: Our results show high sensitivity and specificity of frozen section diagnosis in ovarian masses. Pathologist’s misinterpretation was the only cause of discrepancies.