Simple ovarian cysts in postmenopausal women: scope of conservative management

This study was done to evaluate/investigate the natural history of simple ovarian cysts in postmenopausal women and to determine the risk for malignant transformation of these cysts.

Ultrasound reports of all the postmenopausal women who attended St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center, Hartford, USA from January 1997 to April 2010 with an ultrasound diagnosis of simple cysts of ovary were reviewed retrospectively. A total of 619 patients with 743 simple ovarian cysts were evaluated. It was found that 305 out of 619 patients (49.27%) were lost in follow-up. Therefore, 314 patients (50.73%) with 378 cysts could be followed further by ultrasound study.

One hundred and seventy-five (46.30%) of the 378 cysts that could be followed further had spontaneous resolution and 166 cysts (43.91%) persisted unchanged over the follow-up period. Thirty cysts (7.94%) turned into complex cysts and four cysts (1.06%) significantly increased in size. One cyst significantly decreased in size, though it did not resolve. Only one patient developed papillary serous carcinoma (high grade) of the ovary. This occurred three years after her last ultrasound for simple cyst surveillance.

Simple ovarian cysts during the menopause can be followed conservatively because their risk for malignant transformation is low. The majority of these cysts either resolve spontaneously or persist unaltered on follow-up.