A rare case of numerous parasitic myomas after laparoscopic myomectomy

Abstract

Parasitic myoma is a relatively rare disease in which one or more leiomyomas form outside the uterus; however, the detailed causes are unknown. Few sporadic reports are available, and per our research, the maximum number of parasitic myomas reported to date was 26, and almost all cases were treated by surgical resection. We report a rare case of numerous parasitic myomas in the abdominal cavity, possibly including an intrathoracic lesion, which could not be resected completely. The patient was a 42-year-old, gravid 2, para 0, artificially aborted 2, and not yet menopausal woman. She had undergone laparoscopic myomectomy at a different hospital 6 years prior. Laparoscopically, numerous hard white masses, ranging from 1 mm to approximately 55 mm in size, were found in the abdominal cavity. The masses were particularly numerous in the omentum and mesentery but were also found on the diaphragm, abdominal peritoneum, and intestinal surface. The patient was pathologically diagnosed with multiple benign leiomyomas. On computed tomography, a similar nodule was observed in the right lower lobe of the lung. Despite using in-bag morcellation, as in this case, numerous parasitic myomas occurred, suggesting that greater caution should be exercised when explaining laparoscopic myomectomy to patients.