To explore the clinical value of preoperative three-dimensional ultrasound imaging for ovarian tumors for reflecting the anatomy postoperatively.

Forty-seven patients with ovarian cystic-solid or solid masses from Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Capital Medical University were evaluated by two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound examination within one week before surgery from January 2008 to December 2009. Every ovarian mass was examined by three-dimensional ultrasound and tomographic ultrasound imaging (TUI) and the results was compared with the specimen postoperatively.

Forty-seven ovarian masses were confirmed by pathology, including 23 benign masses and 24 malignant masses (six borderline tumors). Compared with the postoperative specimens, the accuracy of preoperative 3D ultrasound imaging of ovarian tumors for the anatomical structures was 89.4% (42/47). The misdiagnosis causes in 5 cases included failure to detect tiny papillae on the surface and small cysts in the mass, failure to display the compressed structures accurately, wrongly believe the teeth on the tumor wall as papillae and wrongly believe two adjacent ovarian tumors as one unilateral mass.

Compared with postoperative specimens, the anatomy of ovarian tumors could be reflected accurately by 3D ultrasound imaging preoperatively. It could be helpful for differential diagnosis between benign and malignant ovarian tumors and the decision of surgical plan.