2023 Volume 41 Issue 1 Pages 45-50
Introduction: While nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) infection primarily originates in the lungs, gynecologic organ infections are rare. We report an NTM infection in the uterus mimicking cervical cancer with vaginal invasion.
Case: The patient was a 78-year-old woman with previously abnormal genital bleeding was diagnosed with atrophic vaginitis after examinations. The symptoms improved with a low dose of transvaginal estrogen treatment. However, she presented to our hospital five months after the initial diagnosis with recurrent abnormal bleeding, including retention of bloody light discharge. Vaginal examination revealed rigid and painful vaginal tissue and easily bleeding vaginal walls. Therefore, magnetic resonance imaging was performed, and the results revealed a cervical mass with circumferential thickening of the vaginal wall. Cervical cancer with vaginal invasion was suspected. Moreover, subsequent biopsy did not yield a diagnosis of malignancy. Hence, she was diagnosed with uterine NTM infection after NTM culture and DNA-polymerase chain reaction test using vaginal biopsy tissue. She was treated with levofloxacin, rifampicin, and kanamycin, which improved her symptoms.
Conclusions: NTM infection of uterine cervix should be considered in cases where confirmatory tissue diagnosis is not achieved, especially have a NTM history.
