Bilateral massive ovarian leiomyomata in a young woman: a case report with review of the literature.

Abstract

We report a case of ovarian leiomyomata, bilateral and massive, in a 21-yr-old woman. Primary leiomyoma of the ovary is a very rare tumor and is usually small, unilateral, and concomitant with uterine leiomyomata. To our knowledge, this is the first report in the English literature of bilateral ovarian leiomyomata. We document the smooth muscle origin of the tumors with immunohistochemical studies that show appropriate staining with antibodies to vimentin, muscle specific actin, desmin, smooth muscle actin, and collagen type IV. The available literature is reviewed. The characteristics of both typical and atypical ovarian leiomyoma and theories of its origin are discussed.