TY - JOUR T1 - Vegetable fibre in an infected ovarian dermoid cyst JF - BMJ Case Reports JO - BMJ Case Reports DO - 10.1136/bcr-2018-224867 VL - 12 IS - 3 SP - e224867 AU - Carla M Villarreal AU - Srikala Yedavally AU - Elie Mulhem Y1 - 2019/03/01 UR - http://casereports.bmj.com/content/12/3/e224867.abstract N2 - 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. ER -