[Cyto-diagnosis of cystic ovarian tumours]

The value of aspiration cytology of cystic ovarian tumours was studied, as an aid to the differential diagnosis between functional ovarian cysts and cystic ovarian tumours. In 158 women age 14 age 77 the cystic ovarian tumour was aspirated by laparoscopy or at laparotomy and the contents of the cyst were centrifuged and the sediment investigated by papanicolaou cytology. The findings of the smears showed direct or indirect cytological criteria for a cystic ovarian tumour. In 47 cystic neoplasms verified by microscopic examination the cytological diagnosis showed conclusive evidence of a neoplasm in 27 cases. In 7 cases the cytology was suspicious of a neoplasm. In 36 cases the differential diagnosis between cystic tumour and functional cyst was supplemented by radio-immuno-assay for estradiol in the aspirated contents of the cysts. Values over 500 picomol/litre are suggestive of a follicle are corpus luteum cyst.