How big is an ovarian cyst that requires surgery?

How big does an ovarian cyst need to be for surgery?

Many patients believe that as long as the cyst grows to a certain size, the surgery needs to be stopped. In fact, experts reflect that although we often use 5 cm as a dividing line in clinical practice, we should also consider other conditions of the patient, such as whether the cyst has ruptured or whether the patient has been infected with a more serious disease. Therefore, doctors will comprehensively consider whether ovarian cysts should be operated on, not just the size of the cyst.

Cysts with a diameter greater than 5 cm and less than 5 cm are physiological and can be followed up with ultrasound every 3 months. Most of them will reduce or disappear on their own, but they may grow again on the other ovary or the same ovary. If the cyst with a diameter greater than 5 cm is purely cystic, it is not very harmful. It is mainly because of the possibility of complications such as rupture, infection, and changes, so surgical treatment is recommended.

Ovarian cysts are not a diagnosis of disease, but a finding on ultrasound examination, which manifests as cysts. Some ovarian cysts are physiological, such as follicular cysts and corpus luteum cysts, which are composed of post-ovulation follicle development and corpus luteum absorption. Ovarian cysts are mostly unilateral, mostly less than 5 cm in diameter, with thin walls, and can be naturally absorbed under normal circumstances. Follow-up for 2-3 months, re-examination after menstruation, the cysts may disappear on their own, and often no special treatment is required. However, if the cyst continues to exist or grow after 3 months of follow-up, pathological cysts should be considered, such as ovarian tumors, and surgical treatment should be considered. The most common pathological ovarian cysts are benign ovarian tumors, such as ovarian mature cystic teratoma, ovarian serous cystadenoma, mucinous cystadenoma, etc., and some others such as ovarian endometriosis cysts.