DefinePK

Abstract

INTRODUCTION


Tuberculosis endometritis is found in 50-90% of women with genital tuberculosis1-4. The fallopian tubes are the initial site of involvement and are invariably affected in almost all cases3,4. Infection first commences in the mucosa and then spreads through the tubal wail to the peritoneal surface5,6. The endometrium gets involved by seeding from the tubes5-9. However, in rare instances, reinfection from its basal layer or myometrium may occur8,10. Endometrial tuberculosis may take one of the three forms8. It may be a part ofwidespreadpelvic involvement, the advanced type1, be a part of the gross infection involving the uterine wall but confined to the uterus, or may occur as few small isolated lesions confined to the endometrium8. The characteristic histopathological lesion may be proliferative, exudative or mixed. In the absence of typical granulomas, certain minor lesions can be sugges­tive of a tubercular aetiology and these include focal lymphocytic aggregates, cystic dilatation and distortion of glands, active destruction of epithelium and the presence of inflammatory exudate in the glandular lumen2,11-13. There may be an occasional plasma cell infiltration and this has been found to be associated with acute flare ups following curettage11.