Genetic analysis of the cause of endometrial osseous metaplasia.
OBJECTIVE
To analyze solitary bone fragments from the uterine cavity through DNA genotyping, thus elucidating whether they originate from metaplasia, from previous abortion, or both.


METHODS
We conducted a case series study on 14 patients, of whom eight yielded bone DNA. The patients selected had histopathologic diagnoses of bone fragments inside the uterine cavity or previously removed samples available for analysis. We extracted DNA from blood and bone fragments. To identify the bone tissue origin, these materials were genotyped using polymerase chain reactions for DNA loci. Six mini short tandem repeat loci frequently used for human tissue identification were analyzed using automated sequencing.


RESULTS
Among these eight patients, blood and tissue samples from the same individual produced exactly the same pair of alleles for all six loci. This indicated that the DNA profile was completely the same for the bone samples and the mother's blood (95% confidence interval 63-100%), thus confirming that the DNA had the same origin and that these were cases of metaplasia.


CONCLUSIONS
In all of the eight cases, bone formation was caused by osseous metaplasia, because the DNA in the bone fragment and in the patient's blood was identical. Although all of the women had histories of previous abortion, no difference in DNA was detected in the bone tissue in any of the cases, as would be expected if abortion had occurred. This result was completely unexpected, differing greatly from what the literature suggests.


METHODS
III.
Parente
Raphael Câmara Medeiros
RCM
From the Departments of Gynecology Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; Universidade Do Estado Do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filha, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Patriarca
Marisa Teresinha
MT
de Moura Neto
Rodrigo Soares
RS
de Oliveira
Marco Aurélio Pinho
MAP
Lasmar
Ricardo Bassil
RB
de Holanda Mendes
Paula
P
de Sá
Paulo Gallo
PG
Cardeman
Leon
L
Silva
Rosane
R
de Freitas
Vilmon
V
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000473:pathology*; D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood; D004717:Endometrium / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008679:Metaplasia; D008875:Middle Aged; D011247:Pregnancy; D014591:Uterine Diseases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology*
D004247:DNA