The diagnostic conundrum of possible polycystic ovarian syndrome is one frequently encountered in both the primary care setting and in secondary care. As part of the diagnostic work-up, women are often referred for ultrasound. Transabdominal and, more recently, transvaginal ultrasound have become universally used for identification of polycystic ovaries, but for many years, there has been lack of agreement as to the ultrasound diagnostic features. All too often ovaries are described as looking polycystic in the imaging report without reference to the phase of the menstrual cycle, number or size of follicles, or volume of the ovaries. This has led to many women being incorrectly labelled as having polycystic ovaries in the past, without fulfilling any of the now accepted criteria.
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Barter, S.J. (2009). The Radiology of Polycystic Ovaries. In: Farid, N.R., Diamanti-Kandarakis, E. (eds) Diagnosis and Management of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-09718-3_3
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