Homegrown parasites

This is a contrast enhanced abdominopelvic computed tomography scan of a woman in her 30s who presented with a two month history of abdominal heaviness and swelling (fig 1). Physical examination showed a 20×20 cm, non-tender, mobile mass extending from her epigastrium to pelvis, with two smaller masses palpated on each side of a previous myomectomy scar. She had undergone transabdominal myomectomy four years previously and a left salpingectomy for ectopic pregnancy seven years earlier. The three non-specific abdominopelvic masses identified on the scan showed heterogenous enhancement (arrows).bmj;384/jan18_4/e074399/F1F1f1Fig 1Parasitic leiomyoma was diagnosed on the basis of surgical excision and subsequent histological examination. These specific types of leiomyoma or fibroids are not parasitic infections, but acquire a blood supply through neovascularisation of surrounding organs and continue to grow after becoming wholly or partially detached from the uterus. The presence of leiomyomas and a history of laparoscopic pelvic surgery, especially using morcellation…
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