To many the term ovarian dermoid cyst denotes merely a ball of hair invested by a mantle of ectodermal tissue occasionally supporting one or more teeth. Careful examination, however, frequently reveals a variety of tissues including bone, cartilage, smooth muscle, fat, and so forth.
Benign cystic teratomas are beliveved to be associated with a high incidence of complications; it appears, however, that this concept is based on clinical impressions handed down to us.
The laterality, age incidence, size and microscopic description of these tumors are discussed in considerable detail.
Brief mention also is made regarding the incidence of struma ovarii, pregnancy, torsion and coincidental lesions found in association with ovarian teratomas.
A histopathologic study was made on 137 teratomas of ovary that were obtained during a period of 8 years and 10 months, from May 1972 to Feb. 1981. at the Department of Clinical Pathology, College of Medicine, Han Yang University.
The following results are obtained.
1. Benign cystic teratomas are 96.5%, malignant teratomas are 2.1% of which shows 1.4% of squamous carcinoma and 0.7% of adenocarcinoma and struma ovarii are 1.4%.
2. Age distribution is 71. 9% in 2nd to 3rd decades and mean ageis 32 years. The youngest one is 4 years and the oldest is 68 years.
3. No site predilection was identified with bilaterality in 11. 3% of cases.
4. The overage size of the tumor is 9. 84cm in diameter and 80.5% of cases are between 5cm to 14cm in cross diameter.
5. Clinical symptom is developed within 1 year in 60% of case.
6. The main symptoms are abdomnal pain, abdominal mass and menstrual disturbance, in order of frequency and they are 50%, 41. 7% and 10.6%, respectively.
7. Associated lesions are pregnancy, cervicitis, squamous metaplasia and uterine myoma, serous cystadenoma and proteinuria and they are 20. %, 10. 6%, 5.3% and 24.2%, respectively.
S. The complications are tortion (15. 9%), rupture (2. 3%) and infection (0.8%) 9. The components are skin and its appendage are 97% and 87. 9% respectively. The majority is ectodermal origin tissue.
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