The detection of nongenital pelvic tumors mimicking gynecologic disease.

Nongenital pelvic tumors frequently remain undiagnosed until operation. Of 470 patients operated upon for suspected tubal or ovarian pathologic conditions, 25 were found to have inflammatory or neoplastic gastrointestinal lesions; one patient had a paraganglioma of the urinary bladder and one, a malignant retroperitoneal tumor. A variety of other extragenital pelvic tumors have been reported in the literature. Select utilization of the newer diagnostic modalities, combined with traditional methods, promise more accurate preoperative assessment of the suspicious pelvic mass.