Purpose: Tumor heterogeneity may be responsible for poor response to treatment and adverse prognosis in women with HGOEC. The purpose of this study is to propose an automated classification system that allows medical experts to automatically identify intratumoral areas of different cellularity indicative of tumor heterogeneity. Methods: Twenty-two patients underwent dedicated pelvic MRI, and a database of 11,095 images was created. After image processing techniques were applied to align and assess the cancerous regions, two specific imaging series were used to extract quantitative features (radiomics). These features were employed to create, through artificial intelligence, an estimator of the highly cellular intratumoral area as defined by arbitrarily selected apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) cut-off values (ADC < 0.85 × 10⁻³ mm²/s). Results: The average recorded accuracy of the proposed automated classification system was equal to 0.86. Conclusion: The proposed classification system for assessing highly cellular intratumoral areas, based on radiomics, may be used as a tool for assessing tumor heterogeneity.

The aim of this case–control study was to assess the burden of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in adolescents with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and its associations with insulin resistance, hyperandrogenism, and other metabolic characteristics of the syndrome. A total of 87 Caucasian adolescent girls (47 with PCOS and 40 controls), aged 12.3–20.4 years, underwent blood sampling for glucose metabolism, hormonal and lipid profile, gynecological and liver ultrasound, and liver elastography. Indices of insulin resistance, liver steatosis, and liver fibrosis were calculated. NAFLD diagnosed by ultrasound was more prevalent in adolescents with PCOS than controls (22.7% vs. 6.1%, p = 0.046), and was also verified by liver steatosis indices. The latter was not apparent for hepatic fibrosis, as assessed by Fibroscan^® and calculated indices. The homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was found to predict NAFLD diagnosis by the liver fat score (LFS) index (β = 0.709, p = 0.002). Adolescents with PCOS and high free androgen index (FAI) presented worse NAFLD than those adolescents with PCOS and lower FAI. In addition, adolescents with PCOS and concurrent NAFLD had worse insulin sensitivity indices (HOMA-IR, QUICKI, and glucose to insulin ratio) than adolescents with PCOS alone. Adolescent insulin resistance could be considered a confounder of the association between PCOS and NAFLD.

Imaging plays a pivotal role in the diagnostic approach of women with suspected ovarian cancer. MRI is widely used for preoperative characterization and risk stratification of adnexal masses. While epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) has typical findings on MRI; there are several benign and malignant pelvic conditions that may mimic its appearance on imaging. Knowledge of the origin and imaging characteristics of a pelvic mass will help radiologists diagnose ovarian cancer promptly and accurately. Finally, in special subgroups, including adolescents and gravid population, the prevalence of various ovarian tumors differs from that of the general population and there are conditions which uniquely manifest during these periods of life.

The current guidelines suggest routine screening for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Hepatokines seem to be promising surrogate endpoints for the diagnosis and severity of NAFLD. PCOS has its onset in adolescence and its metabolic sequalae begin during the same period. There are scarce data on the hepatokine profile of adolescent PCOS patients. This case–control study examined the serum profile of the hepatokines sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), selenoprotein P, fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21), and fetuin A in a sample of adolescent PCOS patients, and their association to metabolic and hormonal parameters. The selenoprotein P and SHBG serum concentrations were significantly decreased in PCOS patients vs. the controls (median (IQR), 2.47 (0.40) vs. 2.66 (0.36) μg/mL, p = 0.025; mean ± SD, 41.71 ± 19.41 vs. 54.94 ± 22.12 nmol/L, p = 0.011, respectively), whereas selenoprotein P was significantly and positively associated with testosterone (r = 0.325, p = 0.007) and the free androgen index (r = 0.361, p = 0.002). The SHBG demonstrated multiple significant negative correlations with adverse metabolic parameters. Among the PCOS patients, the FGF21 concentrations were significantly higher in those with NAFLD, whereas a 1 pg/mL increase in the FGF21 concentration increased the odds of NAFLD diagnosis by liver ultrasound by 1%, suggesting FGF21 as a potential biomarker for hepatic disease in females with PCOS in adolescence. Fetuin A was the least differentiated hepatokine between the PCOS patients and controls with the least associations with metabolic and hormonal parameters.

Ovarian tumors are rare in the pediatric population, yet they are the most common type of malignancy in tumors of the female genital tract. Both non-neoplastic and neoplastic ovarian lesions are seen in children and adolescents. Most pediatric ovarian tumors are benign. Germ cell tumors constitute the majority of ovarian tumors in the pediatric cohort, and mature teratoma is the most prevalent histologic type. However, 3–8% % of ovarian tumors in children and adolescents are malignant. Accurate characterization of ovarian masses in the pediatric population is crucial to determine the appropriate treatment, which should be minimally invasive and focused on preserving fertility. Transabdominal US is the main imaging modality for the assessment of pediatric ovarian masses. MRI represents a valuable adjunct tool for the evaluation of sonographically indeterminate ovarian lesions. This technique is also recommended for tumor staging and follow-up. CT is often used in emergency situations or when there are contraindications for MRI. Imaging findings, along with clinical features and laboratory results, play a crucial role in the characterization of ovarian masses in the pediatric population. This narrative review was based on a comprehensive literature search of articles about imaging findings of ovarian masses in the pediatric population, published between 1977 and April 2025. Data were obtained from the PubMed database, using the following keywords: “imaging”, “ovarian tumors”, ovarian masses”, and “pediatric”. This article aims to provide an overview of the role of imaging in the assessment of ovarian masses in the pediatric age group.