Ultrasonographic assessment of ovarian endometrioma

Endometriosis is a common gynecologic disease that affects about 10% of women of reproductive age. Most women with endometriosis experience pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia and infertility, all of which reduce their quality of life. Ultrasound examination is an easy and noninvasive method in the differential diagnosis of endometriosis, and is useful in planning surgical intervention of ovarian endometrioma, as well as preoperative and postoperative medical therapy. With advances in ultrasonography, the application of higher-frequency scanning probes can evaluate ovarian endometrioma to improve diagnostic accuracy. This includes morphologic assessment with two-dimensional ultrasound and other various ultrasound modalities such as three-dimensional sonography, color Doppler, and power ultrasound imaging. The aim of this review will focus on the ultrasonographic findings of ovarian endometrioma during diagnosis, in differentiating various benign and malignant tumors, and their functional role during treatment.