Malacoplakia of the cervix and corpus uteri: a light microscopic, electron microscopic, and X-ray microprobe analysis...

Malacoplakia in the female genital tract is rare. A case of a 71-year-old woman with malacoplakia of the cervical mucosa and endometrium is described. By light microscopy, von Hansemann cells containing calcified bodies (Michaelis-Gutmann bodies) could be visualized. Similar formations could also be seen extracellularly. Typical Michaelis-Gutmann bodies with electron-dense areas, as well as with pale centers and a dark periphery, could be identified by electron microscopy. Occasional trilaminar bacteria were seen. X-ray microanalysis indicated the presence of silica, sulfur, chloride, calcium, magnesium, and iron. Malacoplakia in this region may cause diagnostic problems for the pathologist, but the presence of a monotonous tumor-like infiltrate of pale histiocytes should lead to a careful search for Michaelis-Gutmann bodies.