PELVIC PNEUMOGRAPHY IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF POLYCYSTIC DISEASE OF THE OVARY, INCLUDING STEIN-LEVENTHAL SYNDROME

Abstract

By means of pelvic pneumography the pelvic organs of 35 women with pathologically established polycystic ovaries were compared to the normal pelvic organs of 28 women. The diagnosis of the Stein-Leventhal syndrome can be made with a high degree of accuracy by the combination of the appropriate clinical findings and symmetrically enlarged ovaries demonstrated by pelvic pneumography. The mean size of the polycystic ovary is distinctly larger than that of the normal, but with considerable overlap. Ovarian size, in both groups, is unrelated to premenopausal age or to past pregnancies. Uterine size in both groups increased with age and past pregnancies. In general, the uterus in women with polycystic ovaries is smaller than in the control group, possibly due to the smaller number of pregnancies. Polycystic ovaries may present as a localized pelvic disease rather than as a systemic disease of hormonal imbalance.