Adenomyomatous polyp of the uterus: Report of an autopsy case and review of the literature

Abstract

Adenomyomatous polyps of the endometrium are a rare subtype of endometrial polyps. In addition to the usual features of endometrial polyps, they also contain a smooth muscle component. Grossly they appear no different than ordinary endometrial polyps. In the case reported herein, a 23-year-old nulliparous female was killed in a traffic accident. In the course of the medicolegal autopsy, a small pedunculated growth was identified in the fundus of the endometrial cavity. Histologically the mass consisted of endometrial glands intimately mixed with smooth muscle and thick walled blood vessels, consistent with an adenomyomatous polyp. There was no history of tamoxifen use in this individual. To our knowledge this is the first report of post-mortem diagnosis of an adenomyomatous polyp. Furthermore, this is the first report of an individual with this diagnosis younger than the fourth decade. In the medicolegal setting, forensic pathologists are constantly faced with entities that, while they may not have caused death, may serve to educate practitioners about rare lesions. This individual’s finding serves as one of those entities. This case reiterates the importance of the autopsy as not only the answer to an individual’s death, but as an avenue for the discovery of entities that may have relevance to those who are still living.