PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Carla M Villarreal
AU  - Srikala Yedavally
AU  - Elie Mulhem
TI  - Vegetable fibre in an infected ovarian dermoid cyst
AID  - 10.1136/bcr-2018-224867
DP  - 2019 Mar 01
TA  - BMJ Case Reports
PG  - e224867
VI  - 12
IP  - 3
4099  - http://casereports.bmj.com/content/12/3/e224867.short
4100  - http://casereports.bmj.com/content/12/3/e224867.full
SO  - BMJ Case Reports2019 Mar 01; 12
AB  - Tubo-ovarian abscesses (TOAs) are inflammatory masses involving the fallopian tube, ovary and occasionally other adjacent pelvic organs. A 32-year-old woman with no significant medical history presented with a chief complaint of lower abdominal pain. Initial CT of the abdomen was suggestive of a colon abscess; however, a repeat CT suggested a TOA. The left ovary was densely adherent to the left pelvic sidewall and the rectosigmoid colon. The content of the ovary was consistent with a dermoid and suspected of superinfection. Pathological examination of the tissue revealed normal ovarian cortical tissue, hair cells, melanin, and epidermal and neural tissue, as well as evidence of a foreign object resembling vegetable matter. The vegetable fibre found in this patient’s biopsy was of an unclear aetiology, but probably indicates a perforation of the bowel. Any cause of bowel perforation adjacent to the adnexa can lead to TOA, therefore providing a rational speculation for this case.