Patient:
Female, 72 FINAL DIAGNOSIS: Histiocytic endometritis Symptoms: Vaginal discharge • fever • weakness
Medication:
- Clinical Procedure: Endometrial and cervical biopsy Specialty: Pathology • Gynaecology.
Objective:
Rare disease.
Background:
Histiocytic or xanthogranulomatous endometritis, characterized by disappearance of endometrial mucosa and its replacement by sheets of lipid containing histiocytic cells, is very rare. Extensive internet and PubMed searches revealed only 19 cases reported to date. The pathogenesis of histiocytic endometritis seems to be inflammation due to post-menopausal cervical stenosis or as the result of cervical carcinoma. Histiocytic endometritis can infiltrate the myometrium and can mimic a malignancy.
Case report:
We report the case of a 78-year-old post-menopausal female with symptoms of vaginal discharge, fever, and weakness. Radiological investigation showed a mass lesion in the cervix, extending into the myometrium, suggestive of cervical carcinoma. The lesion was biopsied and histopathological examination led to the diagnosis of histiocytic endometritis with no evidence of malignancy.
Conclusions:
Histiocytic endometritis, an inflammatory pathology, can mimic malignancy clinically as well as radiologically. Histopathological examination with extensive sampling of tissue is essential because presence of endometritis does not rule out malignancy.