Ovarian tumors of low malignant potential: transvaginal Doppler ultrasound features

Twenty-nine patients with ovarian tumors were studied with transvaginal Doppler ultrasound before surgery. After surgery, pathological examination revealed that 26 tumors were benign and 3 were of low malignant potential (LMP). B-mode sonography, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging showed no positive findings for malignancy in these 3 cases of LMP. Serum levels of the CA-125, tissue polypeptide antigen, and carcinoembryonic antigen were also within the normal range. Blood flow velocity waveforms were evaluated by the calculation of the resistance index (RI). There was a significant difference between the RI value (0.818 +/- 0.223) in benign tumors and that (0.418 +/- 0.072) in LMP (P less than 0.01). When the 0.56 (mean of LMP tumor RI value + 2SD) was considered as the cutoff value of RI, the sensitivity was 100% and the specificity was 88.5%. Transvaginal Doppler ultrasound provides a useful diagnostic information for the differentiation of benign and LMP ovarian tumors before surgery.