Lung Localization of Endosalpingiosis: Challenges of Rare Manifestation of Müllerianosis

Mattia Dominoni, Dr Gabriele Rasore, Gabriele Rasore, Rasore G, Manuela Torraca, Torraca M, Pano MR, Martina Rita Pano, Stefania Cesari, Cesari S, Gioacchino D’Ambrosio, D'Ambrosio G, Gioacchino D'Ambrosio, Barbara Gardella, Gardella B, Bárbara Gardella
International journal of surgical pathology · 2026 · pp. 10668969261484981 · doi:10.1177/10668969261484981 · PMID:42852827 · W7221168514
Case report OA: closed public-domain-us
View on OpenAlex View on PubMed View at publisher
⚙ AI-generated summary by qwen3.7-flash, 2026-10-11 ⓘ

This case report describes thoracic endosalpingiosis in a patient with prior ovarian endometriosis, highlighting the diagnostic utility of immunohistochemistry to distinguish this rare benign condition from thoracic endometriosis syndrome and malignancy.

One-sentence paraphrase of the abstract; not a substitute for reading it. No clinical advice. How this works

Abstract

Endosalpingiosis (ES) is a benign, nonneoplastic condition of the Müllerian system characterized by the ectopic implantation of fallopian tube-like ciliated columnar epithelium. Unlike endometriosis, ES lacks endometrial stroma and therefore does not produce the characteristic hemorrhagic episodes or extensive inflammatory responses associated with endometriosis. Although ES is primarily identified in the visceral pelvic peritoneum, extrapelvic manifestations are exceedingly rare, with pulmonary and pleural localization, accounting for ∼0.1% of reports. This report describes the clinical presentation of thoracic ES in a 40-year-old woman who presented with catamenial spontaneous primary pneumothorax. Despite a remote surgical history for ovarian endometriosis 10 years earlier, the patient had a prolonged period of clinical latency and no evidence of current pelvic recurrence. Videothoracoscopic surgery revealed a 5-mm apical pulmonary nodule and diffusely calcified pleural plaques. Histopathology and immunohistochemistry are remain gold-standard diagnostic methods for differentiating ES from thoracic endometriosis syndrome or malignancy. The diagnosis was confirmed by epithelial immunoreactivity for Müllerian transcription factors (PAX8 and WT1), keratin 7, and estrogen/progesterone receptors, together with the absence of cluster of differentiation 10 expression, which argued against endometrial stroma, and calretinin negativity, which argued against mesothelial origin. The pathophysiology of thoracic ES may resemble that of pulmonary endometriosis, involving transdiaphragmatic or vascular migration of Müllerian cells. For symptomatic presentations, surgical excision combined with long-term suppressive hormonal therapy is recommended to reduce epithelial proliferation. Given that the emerging literature suggests a possible link between ES and gynecological malignancies, rigorous long-term postoperative surveillance remains essential.

My notes (saved in your browser only)

Citation neighborhood (2-hop)

Papers in the corpus that this work cites (lower rings, blue) and that cite this one (upper rings, green). Dot size scales with the paper's in-corpus citation count — bigger dot = more influential within the endo/adeno field. Click a dot to open that paper. Outer rings show 2-hop neighbours — papers reached through the immediate citers/citees. [ collapse to 1-hop ]

References (13)

Source provenance

europepmc
last seen: 2026-10-17T06:09:56.316927+00:00
openalex
last seen: 2026-10-17T06:00:36.336285+00:00
pubmed
last seen: 2026-10-17T06:02:14.733988+00:00
unpaywall
last seen: 2026-10-17T06:24:38.187582+00:00
License: public-domain-us · commercial use OK · attribution required
Courtesy of the U.S. National Library of Medicine