Vaginal Leiomyoma with Heterologous Paragangliomatous Elements

A vaginal leiomyoma with heterologous paragangliomatous elements is reported. The patient was a 62-year-old woman who presented with uterovaginal prolapse and an asymptomatic vaginal mass that had been present for many years. Histology of the excised mass showed a leiomyoma in a submucosal location, with irregularly shaped islands of chief cells scattered throughout the lesion. These cells were arranged in nests and were surrounded by S100 protein-positive sustentacular cells. The chief cells showed immunoreactivity with chromogranin, synaptophysin, and neuron-specific enolase. Although various heterologous elements are commonly encountered within uterine leiomyomata, such elements have not been described within vaginal leiomyomata. Furthermore, the occurrence of paragangliomatous tissue within leiomyomata has not been reported to date. Int J Surg Pathol 8(4):359-365, 2000