Heterotopic respiratory mucosa of the uterine corpus

Abstract

A 47-year-old, single, Chinese woman presented with pain on the 1st day of menses for more than 30 years. Her dysmenorrhea worsened over years and underwent a total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingooophorectomy. The myometrium showed trabeculated appearance, and there were adhesions between ovaries and fallopian tubes. A pale solid brownish mass measuring 1.5 cm × 1 cm × 0.6 cm with fibrous whitish cut surfaces was present on the lateral wall of the uterus in the lower uterine segment. Histologically, adenomyosis and left ovarian endometriosis were confirmed. The lateral uterine wall nodule showed a tubular structure lined by ciliated pseudostratified columnar epithelium. Smooth muscle bundles were found around the entire tubular structure. Lobules of salivary type glands containing both serous and mucous cells are present. The pathological diagnosis of heterotopic respiratory mucosa (HRM) was made. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of HRM of the uterine corpus.