Chondroid metaplasia-uterine leiomyoma

Abstract

Leiomyomas are the most common benign smooth muscle neoplasm in the uterus occurring most commonly in women of reproductive age group. Leiomyomas commonly undergo secondary changes such as hyaline, cystic or myxoid degeneration, and very rarely ossification. Cartilage or bone formation in the uterine endometrium may be attributable to the differentiation of multipotent endometrial stromal fibroblasts into osteoblasts, either spontaneously or due to strong continuous endometrial estrogenic stimulation. There are very few reported cases of chondroid metaplasia in uterine leiomyomas. In this article, we describe a rare instance of pure cartilaginous metaplasia in a uterine fibroid in a woman with a history of several abortions. A 30-year-old woman with G3A3 obstetric score came with secondary infertility due to multiple uterine fibroids. The specimens from the laparoscopic adenomyomectomy were sent for histological analysis, which revealed many leiomyomas with chondroid metaplasia. Cartilaginous or chondroid metaplasia, although rare, may appear in a long-standing uterine leiomyoma and must be suspected in young females with a history of multiple abortions.

Keywords

• chondroid
• degeneration
• infertility
• leiomyoma
• metaplasia