Fallopian tubes & broad ligament
Fallopian tube nontumor
Prolapse
Authors: Nicole D. Riddle, M.D., Jamie Shutter, M.D.
Last author update: 1 August 2013
Last staff update: 13 October 2023
Copyright: 2002-2025, PathologyOutlines.com, Inc.
PubMed Search: Fallopian tubes prolapse
Table of Contents
Definition / general | Epidemiology | Clinical features | Case reports | Treatment | Gross description | Microscopic (histologic) description | Microscopic (histologic) images | Cytology description | Differential diagnosisCite this page: Riddle N, Shutter J. Prolapse. PathologyOutlines.com website. https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/fallopiantubesprolapse.html. Accessed January 10th, 2025.
Definition / general
- Turning of tubes inside out, back into vaginal vault or even more rarely into bladder or uterine cavity
Epidemiology
- Rare (less than 100 cases reported), ~80% occur after vaginal hysterectomy (0.5% incidence), presumed due to nonclosure of vaginal vault
- 0.06% incidence after abdominal hystertecomy, less frequent with interposition or colpotomy
- Associated factors include postoperative fever, hematoma formation / failure to maintain adequate hemostasis, poor physical condition, insufficient preoperative vaginal preparation, difficultly with surgical procedure, use of intraperitoneal vaginal drains and packs
Clinical features
- Occurs two months to eight years after surgery
- May present with watery vaginal discharge, lower abdominal pain, dyspareunia
Case reports
- 27 year old woman with peritoneovaginal fistula (Can J Urol 2010;17:5117)
- 35 year old woman (J Midlife Health 2012;3:40)
- Prolapse of fallopian tube into urinary bladder, resembling carcinoma (Arch Pathol Lab Med 1983;107:613)
Treatment
- Surgical excision
Gross description
- Polypoid mass resembling granulation tissue, visible at vaginal apex
Microscopic (histologic) description
- Normal ciliated fallopian tube epithelium with variable surrounding fibrosis, edema, chronic inflammation
Microscopic (histologic) images
Images hosted on other servers:
Fallopian tubal epithelium thrown into papillary folds
Fallopian tube lining
of pseudostratified
ciliated columnar
epithelium
Cytology description
- May be seen on Pap smears
- Columnar cells with cilia and sheets of cells with small granular uniform nuclei in an orderly arrangement; also inflammatory cells and reactive atypia (Diagn Cytopathol 2013;41:146)
Differential diagnosis
- Carcinoma (well differentiated): has glands at odd locations
- Cysts of mesonephric and paramesonephric duct
- Endometriosis
- Vaginal adenosis
