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The list of medical tests mentioned in various sources as used in the diagnosis of Ovarian cysts includes:
Ovarian cysts usually are found during routine pelvic examinations. During this examination, your doctor is able to feel the swelling of the cyst on your ovary. Once a cyst is found, the doctor may perform an ultrasound, or a screening to see if the cyst is hollow or solid, determine its size and exact location, and see if it contains fluid or abnormal structures that help show its type. (Source: excerpt from Ovarian Cysts: NWHIC)
To detect your risk for ovarian cancer, your doctor may want to do a blood test to measure a substance in the blood called CA-125. The amount of this protein is increased in the blood of women with ovarian cancer. However, some ovarian cancers do not produce enough CA-125 to be detected by the test, and there are other non-cancerous diseases that also increase the levels of CA-125. For these reasons, the CA-125 test is recommended mostly for women who are at high risk for the disease. (Source: excerpt from Ovarian Cysts: NWHIC)
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Diagnosis of ovarian cancer requires clinical evaluation, complete patient history, surgical exploration, and histologic studies. Preoperative evaluation includes a complete physical examination, including pelvic examination with Papanicolaou smear (positive in only a small number of women with ovarian cancer) and the following special tests:
❑abdominal ultrasonography, computed tomography scan, or X-ray (may delineate tumor size)
❑ complete blood count, blood chemistries, and electrocardiogram
❑ excretory urography for information on renal function and possible urinary tract anomalies or obstruction
❑ chest X-ray for distant metastasis and pleural effusions
❑ barium enema (especially in patients with GI symptoms) to reveal obstruction and size of tumor
❑ lymphangiography to show lymph node involvement
❑ mammography to rule out primary breast cancer
❑ liver function studies or a liver scan in patients with ascites
❑ ascites fluid aspiration for identification of typical cells by cytology
❑ laboratory tumor marker studies, such as Ca-125, carcinoembryonic antigen, and human chorionic gonadotropin.
Despite extensive testing, accurate diagnosis and staging are impossible without exploratory laparotomy, including lymph node evaluation and tumor resection. (See Staging ovarian cancer.)
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Generally, characteristic clinical features suggest ovarian cysts.
Extremely elevated hCG titers strongly suggest theca-lutein cysts. Pregnancy, including molar pregnancy, must be ruled out.
In polycystic ovarian disease, physical examination demonstrates bilaterally enlarged polycystic ovaries. Tests reveal slight elevation of urinary 17-ketosteroids and anovulation (shown by basal body temperature graphs and endometrial biopsy). Direct visualization must rule out paraovarian cysts of the broad ligament, salpingitis, endometriosis, and neoplastic cysts.
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
With ovarian cancer, diagnosis requires clinical evaluation, a complete patient history, surgical exploration, and histologic studies. Preoperative evaluation includes a complete physical examination, including pelvic examination with Papanicolaou smear (not clinically useful for ovarian cancer but helpful in diagnosing cervical dysplasia, cervical cancer, and some endometrial cancers) and the following special tests:
❑ abdominal ultrasonography, computed tomography scan, or magnetic resonance imaging (may delineate tumor size)
❑ complete blood count and blood chemistries ❑ chest X-ray for distant metastasis and pleural effusions
❑ barium enema (especially in patients with GI symptoms) to reveal obstruction and size of tumor
❑ mammography to rule out primary breast cancer
❑ liver function studies or a liver scan in patients with ascites
❑ laboratory tumor marker studies, such as CA-125, carcinoembryonic antigen, and human chorionic gonadotropin (the last two are mainly for suspected germ cell tumors).
Despite extensive testing, accurate diagnosis and staging are impossible without exploratory laparotomy, including lymph node evaluation and tumor resection.
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
Generally, characteristic features suggest ovarian cysts. Visualization of the ovaries through ultrasound, laparoscopy, computed tomography scan, or surgery (commonly for another condition) confirms their presence. However, histologic examination is the only definitive method for an exact diagnosis. Extremely elevated HCG titers strongly suggest theca-lutein cysts.
With polycystic ovarian disease, physical examination demonstrates bilaterally enlarged polycystic ovaries. Tests reveal slightly elevated urinary 17-ketosteroid levels and anovulation (shown by basal body temperature graphs and endometrial biopsy). Direct visualization must rule out paraovarian cysts of the broad ligament, salpingitis, endometriosis, and neoplastic cysts.
UNDER STUDY: CA-125 is an ovarian cancer marker that can help identify cancerous cysts in women. Hormone levels (luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, estradiol, testosterone) may be used to check for associated hormonal conditions.
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
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