PATTERN OF PELVIC MASS AMONG WOMEN ATTENDING A GYNAECOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL IN SINDH

OBJECTIVE: To analyze patients with pelvic mass according to age, parity, clinical presentation, pathology and operative procedures according to the type of mass, at a tertiary care hospital of Sindh - Pakistan. DESIGN: Descriptive case series. PLACE AND DURATION: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (Unit I), Liaquat University Hospital, Hyderabad; from January to December 2007. PATIENTS AND METHODS: All women of any age and parity presenting with pelvic mass, diagnosed on history, clinical examination and/or on ultrasound were included. Type of pelvic mass was confirmed at surgery and on histopathology. RESULTS: In total, 110 patients were studied. Sixty-one (55.45%) participants were aged between 30-50 years while only one patient was under 20 years and 2 over 70 years. The majority of women were parous. The main clinical presentation was lower abdominal pain in 42 (38.18%) patients, followed by menstrual disturbances in 38 (34.54%) women. Eighty-four (76.36%) patients were diagnosed on first clinical examination, and confirmed further by ultrasound. Among all, 104 (94.54%) patients were diagnosed through ultrasound. Sixty-eight (61.82%) patients had genital tract tumors while 4 had non-gynaecological mass. In 10 (9.1%) patients, size of mass was >20 cm; however, malignant lesions were less common and under 10 cm in size. CONCLUSION: Every women presenting with pelvic mass irrespective of age and parity must be thoroughly investigated and treated. Non-gynaecological masses may also be diagnosed; therefore, surgeon must be competent enough to deal with these masses.