Meigs Syndrome: A case report

The Meigs' syndrome is defined as the presence of ascites & hydrothorax associated with a benign ovarian tumor mostly fibroma that disappears after the removal of the tumor. Joe Vincent Meigs (1892-1963), a professor of the Harvard Medical School of Gynecology drew attention to the syndrome (Lurie, 2000; Griffin, 1996). Meigs' syndrome is a strange clinical entity that is also considered to be an uncommon complication of fibroma of the female genital tract. The more frequently observed type of ovarian tumor is the fibroma. Ovarian fibroma represents 2 to 5% of ovarian tumor and out of this only 1 to 2% of cases present as Meigs syndrome. Ascites in ovarian fibroma present in 10 to 15% of cases while hydrothorax in only 1% of cases. It is accepted that the uterine tumors such as the fibromas, although common, can be associated to ascites and hydrothorax, as well as leiomyoma of the broad ligament. The presumptive diagnosis of this pathology is basically clinical in spite of the priceless value that imaging techniques like ultrasonography, contrast enhanced computed tomography (CECT) have in confirming the presence of ascites, pleural effusion and the characteristics of the ovarian tumor. Cytomorphology of the pleural and ascitic liquid is also used as well as the serum levels of carcinogenic antigen-125 (CA-125) to discard the malignancy of the ovarian tumor that is associated with the syndrome. The definitive diagnosis is usually postoperative. All the signs and symptoms of Meigs' syndrome disappear with the surgical excision of the ovarian tumor by means of the abdominal surgery.