biology

Meigs's syndrome

Meigs's syndrome is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Meigs's syndrome rather than just read about it. In short: In medicine, Meigs's syndrome, also Meigs syndrome or Demons–Meigs syndrome, is the triad of ascites, pleural effusion, and benign ovarian tumor (ovarian fibroma, fibrothecoma, Brenner tumour, and occasionally granulosa cell tumour). Meigs syndrome resolves after the resection of the tumor.

Key takeaways

Meigs's syndrome belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Meigs's syndrome to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Meigs's syndrome from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

In medicine, Meigs's syndrome, also Meigs syndrome or Demons–Meigs syndrome, is the triad of ascites, pleural effusion, and benign ovarian tumor (ovarian fibroma, fibrothecoma, Brenner tumour, and occasionally granulosa cell tumour). Meigs syndrome resolves after the resection of the tumor. Because the transdiaphragmatic lymphatic channels are larger in diameter on the right, the pleural effusion is classically on the right side. The causes of the ascites and pleural effusion are poorly understood. Atypical Meigs syndrome, characterized by a benign pelvic mass with right-sided pleural effusion but without ascites, can also occur. As in typical Meigs syndrome, pleural effusion resolves after removal of the pelvic mass.

Presentation

Diagnosis

Differential diagnosis Meigs syndrome may mimic other conditions, since it is tumor arising from ovaries, pathology of any organs present in the abdomen may show a similar set of symptoms. These include various gynecological disorders of the uterus such as endometrial tumor, sarcoma, leiomyoma (pseudo-Meigs syndrome); fallopian tube disorders such as hydrosalpinx, granulomatous salpingitis, fallopian tube malignancy; ovarian disorders such as serous, mucinous, endometrioid, or clear cell carcinoma, Brenner tumor, granulosa cell tumor, stromal tumor, dysgerminoma, fibroma, or metastatic tumor to the ovary. Meigs syndrome is characterized by the presence of a benign solid ovarian tumor associated with ascites and right hydrothorax that disappear after tumor removal. Non-gynecological manifestations include: ascites, portal vein obstruction, inferior vena cava obstruction, hypoproteinaemia, thoracic duct obstruction, tuberculosis, amyloidosis, pancreatitis, ovarian hyperstimulation, exudate pleural effusion, congestive heart failure, metastatic tumors to the peritoneal surfaces, collagen-vascular disease, and cirrhosis of the liver. These entities must be clinically excluded. Clinical condition characterized by ovarian mass, ascites, and right-sided pleural effusion. Ovarian malignancy and the other causes of pelvic mass, ascites, and pleural effusion to be considered, History of early satiety, weight loss with increased abdominal girth, bloating, intermittent abdominal pain, dyspnea, nonproductive cough may help in differentiating potential local factor causing such symptoms.

Treatment Treatment of Meigs syndrome consists of thoracentesis and paracentesis to drain off the excess fluid (exudate), and unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy or wedge resection to correct the underlying cause.

Eponym Meigs syndrome is named for Joe Vincent Meigs.

References

External links

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Meigs's syndrome

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Meigs's syndrome claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Meigs's syndrome before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Meigs's syndrome ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Meigs's syndrome

In research: Meigs's syndrome appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Meigs's syndrome in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Meigs's syndrome is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Gynaecologic disorders, Medical triads, Syndromes with tumors, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Meigs's syndrome outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Meigs's syndrome in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Meigs's syndrome means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Meigs's syndrome out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Meigs's syndrome in simple terms?

Why does Meigs's syndrome matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Meigs's syndrome?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Meigs's syndrome.