Hematocolpometra due to Imperforate Hymen

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This paper discusses hematocolpometra caused by imperforate hymen, emphasizing that early recognition through careful genital examination and imaging is essential to prevent serious complications in premenarchal girls.

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This case report describes a nine-year-old girl with a developmental disorder who presented with lower abdominal pain, urinary urgency, and fecal urgency due to an imperforate hymen. Imaging confirmed hematocolpometra with significant fluid accumulation in the vagina and uterus, leading to pelvic organ prolapse, bladder distension, and bilateral hydronephrosis. The patient underwent a hymenotomy that evacuated approximately 500 mL of bloody fluid, resulting in clinical improvement. The authors note that delayed diagnosis can lead to complications such as endometriosis-associated infertility. Relevance to endometriosis: mentioned only as a potential long-term complication of untreated imperforate hymen; the paper is centrally about congenital urogenital anomalies rather than endometriosis or adenomyosis pathology.

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Abstract

Early recognition of imperforate hymen in premenarchal girls enables timely intervention to prevent serious complications; however, its nonspecific presentation often leads to missed diagnosis in primary care. Careful genital examination, supplemented by appropriate imaging, is essential when evaluating lower abdominal pain or constipation in girls with amenorrhea.
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Case

A 9‐year‐10‐month‐old girl with a developmental disorder presented with a 4‐day history of lower abdominal pain and genital discomfort, accompanied by urinary and fecal urgency. She had not yet experienced menarche. Physical examination revealed marked abdominal distension, decreased bowel sounds, and diffuse lower abdominal tenderness. Genital examination showed an imperforate hymen and compression of the external urethral meatus. Abdominal X‐ray revealed increased soft tissue density in the pelvic cavity and cranial displacement of the bowel loops (Figure  1 ). Computed tomography showed significant fluid accumulation in the vaginal canal extending into the uterine cavity, pelvic organ prolapse, bladder distension, and bilateral hydronephrosis (Figure  2a,b ). Based on these findings, the patient was diagnosed with hematocolpometra due to imperforate hymen, complicated by urethral compression and bilateral hydronephrosis. A hymenotomy was promptly performed, evacuating approximately 500 mL of bloody fluid, followed by vaginal irrigation, resulting in clinical improvement. Abdominal X‐ray revealed decreased bowel gas and increased soft tissue density in the pelvic cavity, with cranial displacement of the gastrointestinal tract. (2a) Sagittal CT demonstrated significant fluid accumulation in the vaginal canal (yellow arrows) extending into the uterine cavity (red arrows), along with pelvic organ prolapse and bladder distension (yellow arrowheads). (2b) Axial CT demonstrated bilateral hydronephrosis and ureteral dilatation. Imperforate hymen (IH) is an uncommon congenital anomaly of the urogenital sinus, with an incidence of 0.05%–0.1% [ 1 ], typically presents in early puberty with cyclic abdominal pain or voiding dysfunction. Owing to its low incidence and nonspecific symptoms, IH can be misdiagnosed as constipation or psychogenic disorders, leading to delayed diagnosis—especially when developmental disorders impede proper history‐taking, as seen in this case [ 2 ]. Without appropriate management, IH can cause infections, hydronephrosis, and endometriosis‐associated infertility [ 3 ]. Therefore, gynecological examination is essential in evaluating lower abdominal pain in premenarchal girls.

Author

Asae Inoue: investigation, writing – original draft. Takuya Otsuki: writing – original draft, writing – review and editing. Kosuke Ishizuka: writing – review and editing. Kasane Ikegami: data curation, investigation, writing – review and editing. Ruri Isono: investigation, writing – review and editing. Kenya Ie: supervision, writing – review and editing. Chiaki Okuse: writing – review and editing.

Funding

The authors have nothing to report.

Conclusions

Written consent to use patient's case record (including X‐ray and Computed tomography) was obtained.

Coi Statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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europepmc
last seen: 2026-10-18T09:30:06.152893+00:00
pubmed
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License: CC-BY-4.0