[Incidence of fibrocystic disease of the breast in women with polycystic ovary. Clinico-instrumental study].

Background: The aim of this study was to assess whether or not there was an association between polycystic ovaries (PCO) and fibrocystic breast disease. It is known that hyperestrogenism and anovulation are involved in the etiology of the fibrocystic breast disease; we evaluated the incidence of this disorder in women with PCO or Polycystic Ovary Sindrome (PCOS) based on ultrasound findings both pelvic and mammographic.

Methods: From January 1995 to December 1997 we performed in our outpatient ultrasound service (I Divisione I Istituto di Clinica Ostetrica e Ginecologica, Università di Roma "La Sapienza") pelvic standard scan on 980 women. Patients between 18 and 30 years of age, not using oral contraceptives, both with Normal Appearing Ovariest (NAO) or with PCO Polycystic Appearing Ovaries (PAO) enrolled in the study, informed and agreed to undergo ultrasound mammography. All the subject were examined using an Aloka SSD ZOOO and Esaote AU3 ultrasound equipment with 3.5 MHz and 10 MHz probes for pelvic and mammographic scan respectively. The relationship between pelvic and mammographic scan findings were studied and the chi 2 analysis was used to examine them.

Results: Women by the US findings were allocated into three groups: 203 over 264 showed NAO (group A); 54 had PAO/PCO (group B) and 7 had PCOS (group C). In group A (6.83%) women showed breast pathology. In group B there was association between PCO and breast pathology in 30 (56.98%) women, while in group C on 6 over 7 (91.66%).

Conclusions: This study showed a significant association between PCO and benign pathology. This should encourage the performance of a screening breast sonography in women with PCO.