The
presence of cysts in a woman's ovary is a natural
phenomenon till the cystic complications signal the time
to go for a check up. Ovarian cysts can be classified
into two distinctive groups, and they are - Functional
and Complex.
While
functional cysts actually perform as part of the ovarian
functions, such as helping in the release of ovum at the
right time for fertilization, the complex ones do
nothing of the sort. Dermoid
ovarian cyst falls in the second category.
Moreover, it is considered to be a cystic teratoma that
contains mature skin that is complete with sweat glands,
hair follicles as also pockets of stale blood, fat,
bone, cartilages, nails, teeth, and even traces of
thyroid tissues. In short, it presents a bizarre picture
when removed to display its
contents.
Causes
Of Ovarian Cyst - The Dermoid
Cysts
What
are the reasons behind the dermoid cyst or the teratoma
(medically referred to as an ovarian tumor consisting of
fragments of skin, bones, etc.) that has these bizarre
items? They originate from the totipotential germ
cells.
Although to most people, it may
seem very whacky, but the fact remains that the dermoid
cyst is quite a common occurrence, particularly in young
women. And they are about one-third of all benign (non-cancerous) ovarian cysts
. They may occur at any age (not infants though),
but most of them are detected in women who are in the
child-bearing age. And some women can have ovarian
teratoma in both the ovaries. As for dimensions, these
growths can range anything between half an inch and
seventeen inches in diameter. Of course, as earlier
said, the large majority of them are benign, and only
about 2% of them are malignant.
Ovarian
Cysts Symptoms - The Dermoid
Type
Except on a routine pelvic
examination where ovarian dermoid cysts appear as an
enlargement or swelling of the ovary, dermoid cysts
usually display no symptom. However, as these abnormal cysts
grow in dimension, they often tend
to twist (torsion), thus causing intense pain in the
lower abdomen. In extremes cases, they can also stop
blood supply to the ovary, and this can create serious
consequences - even death too.
The
risk of rupture and spillage of their contents all over
the abdominal cavity is also very much there. But the
unusually docile nature of ovarian dermoid cyst has been
aptly illustrated in the following report published by
two eminent doctors who treated a 50 year old patient
with large ovarian dermoid cysts. Please read on as the
contents will prove quite
educative.
Understanding
The Dermoid Cysts - A Case
Report
A
50 year old female was admitted with a slowly growing
abdominal mass and occasional pain for 20 years. There
was no history of trauma to the abdomen, bladder or
bowel dysfunction or any other gynecological problem. On
abdominal examination, there was a mass of 12x12 cm size
that was situated in the umbilical, right lumbar and
right iliac fossa region.
The
mass was smooth, non tender, fluctuant, mobile in all
directions and had well defined margins. It was not
moving with respiration. There was no free fluid or
other intra-abdominal lump. Per-rectal and systemic
examination were normal. Hematological, biochemical
investigations and chest radiography were normal.
Abdominal radiography showed soft tissue mass in the
centre with areas of calcification in it. Ultrasound
revealed a large cystic mass of homogenous echo texture
with multiple calcific density contents. Computerized
Tomography showed a large cystic mass with areas of fat
density and calcific foci within
it.
Exploratory
laparotomy indicated that two cysts were present in the
omentum. The larger one measured 12x10 cm while the
smaller one measured 4x2 cm. The larger cyst was
adherent to the urinary bladder. Complete excision of
both the cysts was done. The ovaries were normal. Cut
section of the specimen showed earthy pultaceous
material, tufts of hair, cartilage and bony spicules.
Histopathology of the cyst wall showed epidermal lining
with lamellated keratin in the lumen and a prominent
granular layer. In addition, the wall also showed
osteoid fibro-collagenous tissue, bone formation and
cystic spaces lined by pseudo-stratified columnar
epithelium.
Ovarian
Cyst Removal
Removal
of large ovarian dermoid cysts
causing torsion
(twisting) can be done by laparotomy. The surgery may
involve removal of the offending cyst or the ovary
entirely if required. Sometimes one of the ovaries are
left if the there is no malignancy or the cysts are not
bilateral. However surgery often causes trauma and there
can be other complications too. And of course, surgery
cannot guarantee that the cyst will not reappear. There
are other conventional treatments too, but they just
treat the symptoms and not the root
causes.
Holistic
remedies on the other hand treat the body as a whole to
find out the root causes and eradicate them. And once
these causes are gone, the cyst goes away, never to
return again. This approach is much better than just
treating the symptoms and this is why holistic remedies
have been so successful in the treatment of all kinds of
ovarian cysts.
