Parasitic Leiomyoma, A Less Well Known Entity: A Case Report

Abstract

Parasitic leiomyomas, also known as free leiomyomas, occur outside the uterus and are rarely seen in clinical practice. They usually occur in genitally active women who have undergone hysterectomy or myomectomy. It is difficult to determine the nature of the mass on the basis of imaging studies alone. Diagnosis of certainty is based on anatomopathological examination. Management is essentially surgical. We report the case of a 44-year-old woman with a history of subtotal hysterectomy for fibroleiomyomatous uterus and a lumbar disc herniation, presenting with an extra uterine abdomino-pelvic leiomyoma diagnosed on histology, whereas the CT diagnosis suggested a GIST (gastrointestinal stromal tumour) or desmoid tumour. Our case highlights the importance of considering ectopic leiomyoma as a differential diagnosis in the face of an abdomino-pelvic mass after hysterectomy.