Pediatric ovarian volumes measured at ultrasound after contralateral unilateral oophorectomy.

BACKGROUND

Changes that occur in the remaining ovary after contralateral oophorectomy are not well described.

OBJECTIVE

To determine average ovarian volume in pediatric patients after contralateral oophorectomy compared to age-matched controls with two normal ovaries.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We performed a retrospective review of ultrasound examinations and electronic medical records of patients ages 0-18 years who had unilateral oophorectomy from 2000 to 2017 (n=64). We used 384 consecutive normal age-matched ovaries for comparison, analyzing mean ovarian volumes.

RESULTS

Higher mean ovarian volume (mL) was observed in patients who had oophorectomy compared to controls in the first decade of life (P<0.003) and second decade of life (P<0.0003). Higher mean ovarian volume was seen in both premenarchal and menstruating patients with prior oophorectomy when compared to controls (P<0.05 and P<0.0001, respectively). When comparing volume during menstrual cycle, we saw higher mean ovarian volumes in the oophorectomy group compared to the control group for the follicular (P<0.0001), pre-ovulatory (P=0.0005) and luteal phases (P<0.0003). We provide an updated reference of normal ovarian volumes for pediatric patients, with values similar to those already reported in the literature.

CONCLUSION

Ovarian volume is higher in pediatric patients with one normal ovary following contralateral oophorectomy. The provided normative volumes can be used in evaluating these patients.