True hermaphroditism-the importance of ultrasonic assessment.

Abstract

Intersex states are associated with rare syndromes within a wide clinical spectrum, true hermaphroditism being the rarest of them all. It is a condition that is characterized by ovotestis, i.e. the presence of ovarian and testicular tissues in the same individual, either in separate gonads or in the same gonad. Diagnostic investigation of hermaphroditism involves ultrasound examination of the gonads, karyotype analysis and histological studies. We report the case of a 21-year-old individual with true hermaphroditism, in whom ovotestis was diagnosed on ultrasonography and which was later confirmed by anatomopathological study of the gonads. The role of ultrasound in the initial diagnostic investigation of intersex states, especially true hermaphroditism, is discussed.