Pulmonary thromboembolism (PE) is a serious postoperative complication. Reported rates of PE following gynecologic surgery are between 0.3% and 0.8%, with deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) as the major cause (via seeding of the lungs). Benign ovarian tumors are treated principally by surgery. Possible risk factors for DVT and PE in patients with benign ovarian tumors include tumor size, patient age, and obesity. To date, however, there has been no report addressing the association of these risk factors in patients with benign ovarian tumors. This study offers a retrospective analysis of the incident of preoperative DVT by age, tumor size, and BMI in patients undergoing surgery for benign ovarian tumors. A total of 843 Japanese patients with a preoperative diagnosis of benign ovarian tumor who underwent tumorectomy or adnexectomy at our institution between July 2003 and December 2010 were enrolled. The incidence of preoperative DVT was monitored and statistically stratified by age (< 50 years and >= 50 years), largest tumor diameter (< 10 cm and >= 10 cm), and BMI (< 25 and >= 25). The result indicates that tumor diameter of >= 10 cm is not a risk factor for preoperative DVT in patients with benign ovarian tumor. On the other hand, age >= 50 years and BMI > 25 are independent risk factors for preoperative DVT in Japan. The patients with each risk factor should be treated with preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative precautions against development of PE.
