[Prenatal diagnosis of ovarian cysts. The ultrasonographic course and therapeutic importance].

Before of the implantation of ultrasound there were few cases of ovarian cysts reported in literature because only the very large ones or those which result in mechanical complications produce symptoms. The authors report 17 cases of neonatal ovarian cysts diagnosed by prenatal ultrasound. All of the infants were asymptomatic after birth despite their size or being twisted. The diameter of the cysts varied from 2.5 to 10 cm. Five neonates were treated conservatively and the cysts resolved spontaneously. 12 infants underwent surgery following postnatal confirmation, 9 of these patients had complex ovarian cysts and at laparotomy all of them had torsion of the ovary, three of them were autoamputated, and 3 uncomplicated cysts because their large size or their association to a nephroblastoma. Simple cysts of the ovary tend to resolve spontaneously and therefore, must be treated conservatively. Complex cysts or simple ones larger than 4 cm that do not disappear should undergo surgical removal.