LIPOLEIOMYOMA OF THE UTERUS

Abstract

Lipoleiomyoma is a specific type of a leiomyoma containing substantial amount of fat.1 These are rare benign tumors of the uterus consisting of smooth muscle and mature adipose tissue. The origin of lipomatous lesions of the uterus have different pathological causes including misplaced embryonic fat cells, metaplasia of muscle or connective tissue cells into fat cells, lipocytic differentiation of a specific primitive connective tissue cell, perivascular fat cells accompanying the blood vessels into the uterus, inclusion of fat cells into the uterine wall during surgery, or fatty infiltration or degeneration of connective tissue.2 Imaging has an important role in determining the intrauterine location, fatty nature of the lipoleiomyomas and differentiation of this tumor from cystic ovarian teratoma, as teratoma is usually excised surgically while lipoleiomyomas does not require any treatment.