Fallopian tubes & broad ligament
Broad ligament tumor-like lesions
Mesonephric duct remnants
Authors: Nicole D. Riddle, M.D., Jamie Shutter, M.D.
Last author update: 1 May 2013
Last staff update: 30 December 2020
Copyright: 2002-2024, PathologyOutlines.com, Inc.
PubMed Search: "Mesonephric duct remnants"
Table of Contents
Definition / general | Terminology | Epidemiology | Sites | Etiology | Treatment | Gross description | Microscopic (histologic) description | Positive stains | Negative stains | Differential diagnosisCite this page: Riddle N, Shutter J. Mesonephric duct remnants. PathologyOutlines.com website. https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/fallopiantubesmesonephric.html. Accessed November 27th, 2024.
Definition / general
- Mesonephric duct is paired organ present during embryogenesis connecting primitive kidney to cloaca, which becomes part of male reproductive organs (Wikipedia: Mesonephric Duct [Accessed 20 December 2018])
- In women, duct regresses but normal remnants remain; however, "abnormal" ductular remnants may remain and cause confusion as they appear as glands "out of place"
Terminology
- Also known as Wolffian duct, archinephric duct, Leydig duct, nephric duct
Epidemiology
- Embryological remnant which occurs in all women of any age
- No known predisposing factors
Sites
- Anywhere in pelvic cavity, including broad ligament, cervix (20% of women), fallopian tube, lymph nodes, ovary
Etiology
- In early development, mesonephric and paramesonephric ducts coexist
- Mesonephric ducts develops in bladder trigone in both sexes
- In men, under influence of testosterone, mesonephric duct develops into epididymis, vas deferens, seminal vesicle
- In women, absence of testosterone causes duct regression; this may be incomplete and inclusions / remnants may persist
- Gartners ducts are paired remnants that may give rise to cysts and are typically located lateral to vaginal wall in broad ligament
- Epoophoron (also known as organ of Rosenmüller or parovarium) is analogous to male epididymis; most cranial portion of remnant, located in lateral broad ligament, between ovary and fallopian tube; may communicate with Gartner ducts
- Paraoophoron is analogous to male paradidymis, usually located in medial broad ligament
Treatment
- None needed
Gross description
- Usually no significant gross findings, incidental on microscopy, unless cyst formation
Microscopic (histologic) description
- Small tubules lined by low columnar to cuboidal cells without cilia; surrounded by prominent smooth muscle; may be cystic
Positive stains
- CK903 (may be focal), CD10 (luminal, patchy), vimentin, p16 (Arch Pathol Lab Med 2008;132:402)
- Calretinin (2/3 of mesonephric adenocarcinomas, Histopathology 2003;43:144)
Negative stains
- ER, PR, CEA, p63 (rare focal positivity), PSA in males (Am J Surg Pathol 2011;35:1054)
- Calretinin (benign ducts)
Differential diagnosis
