2013 Volume 52 Issue 2 Pages 139-142
Background : Endometrial malakoplakia is an extremely rare disease. In previous reports and our case, it occurs in elderly women (av. 62 years old), mostly postmenopausal, and irregular bleeding is the most common symptom. It is most important that malignancy should be ruled out. We report herein on the cytological features of an endometrial smear.
Case : A 87-year-old women presenting with irregular genital bleeding and endometrial thickening seen on uterine ultrasound echography underwent an endometrial smear and curettage biopsy. The endometrial smear showed clusters of large histiocytes with a foamy cytoplasm (von Hanseman cell) with targetoid-shaped calcified spherules (Michaelis-Gutmann bodies) on a background of plenty of neutrophils. Endometrial glands were atrophic. Microscopic examination of a curettage biopsy specimen yielded the diagnosis.
Conclusion : The correct diagnosis of endometrial malakoplakia can be achieved based on the presence of clusters of large foamy histiocytes with lamellar calcified spherules.
