ABSTRACT
Adnexal masses represent one of the most frequent problems in clinical practice. Accurate diagnosis is essential to establish the optimal management for these patients. The differential diagnosis of adnexal masses by ultrasound may be performed using different approaches. Benign adnexal masses can be treated conservatively or by minimally invasive surgical procedures. Ultrasound is considered as the first-line imaging technique for the differential diagnosis of adnexal masses. Ultrasound correlates morphologic images with the gross macroscopic pathology of adnexal tumors, and it has been shown that this correlation is high. Three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound has also been proposed as an ultrasound-based technique for the differential diagnosis of adnexal masses. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound has been proposed as an ultrasound-based technique for the characterization of adnexal tumors. Another interesting characteristic of 3D ultrasound is the way this technique can assess tumor vascularization. 3D power Doppler ultrasound also allows an objective quantification of the amount of color content of ovarian tumors by estimating the 3D vascular indices.
