Giant cell arteritis of the female genital tract: report of a case and review of the literature.
A 65-year-old female presented with constitutional symptoms of fever and weight loss with bilateral adnexal masses on physical examination. Total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy were performed and subsequently revealed giant cell arteritis involving numerous small arteries in the ovaries, fallopian tubes, paraovarian and paratubal soft tissues, myometrium, and cervix. After surgery, the patient continued to have constitutional symptoms. Corticosteroid therapy led to a significant improvement and eventual resolution of symptoms. Several similar cases of giant cell arteritis of the female genital tract have been described, both with and without concomitant temporal arteritis. Implications for diagnosis and treatment are discussed.
Patel
Rahul K
RK
UNT Health Science Center at Fort Worth, Fort Worth, TX, USA. rapatel@hsc.unt.edu
Carrick
Kelley
K
D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005836:Genitalia, Female / Q000098:blood supply*; D013700:Giant Cell Arteritis / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans