Ovarian tumors in children and adolescents: a series of 41 cases.

Abstract Objective Pictorial review with a detailed semiological analysis of ovarian tumors in children and adolescents to provide a relevant diagnostic approach. Patients and methods Retrospective study (2001–2011) of 41 patients under the age of 15 who underwent surgery for an ovarian mass with a definite pathological diagnosis. Results Sixty-two percent of the lesions were benign, 33% were malignant and 5% were borderline. Germ cell tumors were most frequent (77.5%), followed by sex cord stromal tumors (12.5%) and epithelial tumors (7.5%). Malignant tumors were more frequent in children between 0 and 2 years old. On imaging, calcifications and fat were specific for germ cell tumors; the presence of a mural nodule was predictive of a mature teratoma ( P P P  = 0.05), biological, including increased hCG and/or AFP levels ( P P P P Conclusion This semiological analysis confirms the role of imaging in diagnosing the etiology of ovarian lesions in children and adolescents and emphasizes the importance identifying tumoral hypervascularity, which, in addition to classic criteria, is highly predictive of malignancy.