A study of 207 benign ovarian tumors seen at the University Hospital, Kuala Lumpur between 1968 and 1975 was made to evaluate the clinical features that might be useful in the preoperative differentiation of mucinous cystadenoma, serous cystadenoma, and cystic teratoma of the ovary. This study indicated that the pertinent information included the mean age of the patient, the marital and menstrual status, and the estimated tumor size. The racial background was an additional factor in serous cystadenoma. Features like parity, the location of the tumor, and ABO blood group pattern were of no value in the preoperative differentiation.
Benign cystic teratoma of the ovary has a varied incidence, varying from 30 to 50 per cent of all benign ovarian tumours. This tumour tends to occur in the reproductive age group (20 to 40 years), and the majority of patients are married with children. About 40 per cent of patients are symptomless. Of those with symptoms, abdominal pain and mass are the commonest. Torsion is the most frequent complication encountered, and the presence of acute pain should make one suspect this complication. The tumour is bilateral in 10 to 20 per cent of patients. This high bilateral occurrence places a responsibility on the gynaecologist to inspect the opposite ovary in all cases of unilateral dermoid cyst of the ovary at the time of laparotomy. Germ·layer derivatives are predominantly ectodermal in origin, although both mesodermal and entodermal derivatives occur frequently.