Open AccessRetained fetal bones: An unusual cause of granulomatous reaction on papanicolaou smear
Author(s) -
Sabina Khan,
Arifa Anwar,
Sujata Jetley
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of mid-life health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.423
H-Index - 11
eISSN - 0976-7819
pISSN - 0976-7800
DOI - 10.4103/jmh.jmh_65_18
Subject(s) - medicine , papanicolaou stain , curettage , tuberculosis , granuloma , granulomatous inflammation , giant cell , foreign body , surgery , pathology , cervical cancer , cancer
Granulomas are a rare finding on Papanicolaou (Pap) smear which if encountered are usually attributed to tuberculosis, especially in an endemic country like India. Here, we report an interesting case of a 40-year-old female presenting with blood-stained discharge and chronic pelvic pain for 8 years. She was advised Pap smear which showed granulomatous inflammation suggestive of tuberculosis. The patient was worked up for tuberculosis which was noncontributory. Dilatation and curettage was done which revealed multiple small bones and bony chips in the endometrial cavity. Following the removal of bones, the patient showed considerable symptomatic improvement. Repeat Pap smear did not reveal any evidence of granuloma. Even after extensive search of literature, we did not come across any such case report in which intrauterine retention of fetal bones evoked a granulomatous response in cervical smears though the presence of uterine granulomas in response to foreign body has been well documented.