title: Idiopathic uterine granulomas: report of a series with morphological similarities to idiopathic ovarian cortical granulomas.
abstract: Granulomas in the uterine corpus and cervix are rare, with most examples obviously a result of a previous operative or ablative procedure. In this report, we describe 8 cases where granulomas, not associated with a previous procedure, were identified as an incidental finding in the myometrium or cervical stroma. A review of the clinical records revealed no obvious cause for the granulomatous inflammation, and we propose the term "idiopathic uterine granulomas." In all cases, the granulomas, which in most cases were multiple, were well circumscribed and intimately related to thin-walled vascular channels that showed no evidence of vasculitis. This resulted in a characteristic histological appearance similar to that seen with so-called "idiopathic ovarian cortical granulomas." Although local and systemic causes of granulomatous inflammation should be excluded, granulomas in the myometrium and cervical stroma may occur without an obvious underlying cause.
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Pathology, Royal Group of Hospitals Trust, Belfast, Northern Ireland.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.forename: W Glenn
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: McCluggage
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002584:Cervix Uteri / Q000473:pathology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006099:Granuloma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D033162:Incidental Findings; D008875:Middle Aged; D009215:Myometrium / Q000473:pathology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014594:Uterine Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology*