• acute pelvic pain
• computed tomography
• diagnostic radiology
• gynaecology
• magnetic resonance imaging
• ultrasounds

Acute fibroid complications are rare. However, failure to recognize and treat acute complications expeditiously when they occur can lead to catastrophic, even deadly, complications. Pyomyoma is a rare but potentially fatal condition resulting from infarction and infection of a fibroid through bacterial seeding and direct, hematogenous, or lymphatic dissemination. Even though the diagnosis is established through clinical and laboratory findings, imaging is an important complementary method to support the suspected diagnosis.

Herein, we report a case of a pyomyoma in a nulliparous woman previously diagnosed with uterine leiomyomatosis according to ultrasound findings. The patient had previously attended the emergency room due to hypogastric pain unresponsive to analgesics. After a week of persistent pain, she developed sepsis without any identifiable foci. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed findings compatible with uterine myomatosis with red degeneration, and a possible diagnosis of a pyomyoma was made according to the imaging findings along with the patient’s clinical features. We decided to perform myomectomy (which is an infrequently performed surgical treatment due to the procedure’s intrinsic implications) due to the patient’s desire to preserve fertility. Histopathologic results revealed a uterine leiomyoma with coagulative and liquefactive necrosis, while the tissue culture showed gram-negative cocci bacteria, which were successfully treated using antibiotic therapy. The patient’s health status improved after several days.

The main diagnostic tools to evaluate pyomyomas are the clinical and laboratory findings as well as tissue cultures. Nonetheless, magnetic resonance imaging can help to corroborate these findings as well as to better characterize myomas with its different complications.

• Diffusion-weighted images
• Apparent diffusion coefficient
• Leiomyoma
• Sepsis
• Magnetic resonance imaging
• Case report

• Leiomyoma
• Pregnancy
• Puerperal pyrexia
• Pyomyoma
• Suppurative leiomyoma

Leiomyomas, also termed as fibroids, are benign smooth, muscle neoplasms seen in 70–80% of women by the age of 50 years. Uterine artery embolization (UAE) is a minimally invasive procedure that involves cessation of vascular supply to the fibroids, by infusion of gelatinous microspheres into the uterine arteries. Pyomyoma is a suppurative leiomyoma, secondary to infection of necrotic tissue. It is an infrequent complication of uterine artery embolization (UAE). Pyomyoma can lead to sepsis, peritonitis, and respiratory distress syndrome resulting in high morbidity and mortality. Due to its rarity, high suspicion is crucial in the diagnosis, and prompt treatment is recommended to reduce mortality. Ultrasound, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging assist in diagnosis. We present a case of a 44-year-old woman with ruptured pyomyoma, following an UAE intervention. The patient was treated with total abdominal hysterectomy and salpingo-oophorectomy along with peritoneal irrigation and drainage.

• Peritonitis
• Pyomyoma
• Ruptured pyomyoma
• Uterine artery embolization
• Uterine artery embolization complications

Pyomyoma is an extremely rare complication, defined as an infection of a uterine leiomyoma. We describe two cases of pyomyoma that were initially considered to be tubo-ovarian abscesses but were later diagnosed as pyomyomas and managed with laparoscopic surgery. Case 1 was a 26-year-old nulliparous woman who was previously diagnosed with bilateral endometriomas and presented to the hospital with lower abdominal pain. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed bilateral endometrial cysts and a 4-cm mass consistent with a tubo-ovarian abscess. The patient experienced continuous pain, and the cyst in the left adnexa enlarged; thus, laparoscopic surgery was performed. The cystic tumor in her uterus contained purulent fluid. Therefore, an abscess in the degenerative subserous myoma was diagnosed. Case 2 was a 47-year-old nulliparous woman who had undergone total mastectomy and postoperative radiotherapy for breast cancer. She was undergoing hormone therapy when she presented to the hospital with lower abdominal pain, fever, and increased inflammatory markers. Computed tomography revealed a 7-cm tumor with rim enhancement in her left adnexa; therefore, a tubo-ovarian abscess was suspected. After admission, drainage was performed under transvaginal ultrasound guidance, and antibiotics were administered. However, these treatments did not relieve her abdominal pain. Emergency laparoscopic surgery was performed, and intraoperative findings demonstrated an abscess in the degenerative subserous myoma of the uterus with normal adnexa. Laparoscopic hysterectomy and bilateral salpingectomy were performed. Laparoscopic surgery was effective for both patients. Delayed diagnosis of pyomyoma can result in serious complications. Timely surgery with concomitant antibiotic treatment may facilitate good outcomes.

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Pyomyoma is extremely rare and can be difficult to diagnose.

• Case report
• Laparoscopic surgery
• Pyomyoma

• ADC, apparent diffusion coefficient
• CRP, C-reactive protein
• DWI, diffusion-weighted imaging
• Pelvic MRI, Women's imaging
• Pelvic ultrasound
• Pyomyoma

Pyomyoma is an unusual fibroid that usually develops during the puerperal or postmenopausal period. If not promptly diagnosed and treated, it can become life threatening. Although various conservative and surgical therapies have been discussed in the literature for this condition, there are very few reports related to the management of prolapsed pedunculated submucosal myoma.

In this case report, an intramural fibroid transformed into a pedunculated submucosal pyomyoma, which prolapsed into the vagina after a miscarriage and caused life-threatening toxic shock. Apart from prompt antibiotic treatment, a transabdominal myomectomy rather than hysterectomy was performed due to the very large diameter of the pyomyoma. As a result, fertility was preserved, and the patient conceived naturally and delivered a healthy baby two years later.

It is important to maintain strong clinical suspicion for pregnant or postpartum women with a triad of pain, sepsis without an obvious source and a known diagnosis of leiomyoma. Timely recognition and prompt surgical treatment with antibiotics are necessary and could conserve the uterus for future fertility.

• Case report
• Postpartum
• Pyomyoma
• sepsis

• Leiomyoma
• Leiomyosarcoma
• Magnetic resonance imaging
• Uterine
• Uterus

• infectious diseases
• obstetrics and gynaecology

Pyomyoma is a rare complication, which withoug antibiotics or surgical intervention, may cause sepsis and mortality. The present study reported a case of large uterine pyomyoma in a perimenopausal female. A 53-year-old multigravida woman was referred to the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (Wakayama Medical University, Wakayama, Japan) due to progressive abdominal distension. The patient presented with anemia gravis, severe inflammatory reaction and cachexia. Computed tomography revealed a large unilocular mass, 50 cm in size, with an irregular surface and thickened wall, occupying the entire abdomen. Following antibiotic medication, the patient underwent a total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. Intraoperative findings demonstrated a solid tumor arising from the back of the uterine body. A total of 12 liters of purulent, malodorous fluid was drained from the tumor. The resected mass was 50 cm in size and 13.5 kg in weight. Cultures of the pus revealed the presence of Streptococcus agalactiae. Pathological findings revealed suppurative leiomyoma with no malignancy. Large pyomyoma is difficult to distinguish from a gynecological malignant tumor types, particularly in perimenopausal women with non-specific clinical presentation. Although pyomyoma is a benign tumor, care must be taken to discriminate these from large abdominal tumors.

• cachexia
• gynecological tumor
• perimenopause
• pyomyoma
• severe inflammatory reaction