Maternal virilization developing during a twin pregnancy; demonstration of excess ovarian androgen production associated with theca lutein cysts

Hyperreactio Luteinalis (Multiple Luteinized Follicle Cysts): A Report of 10 Cases

Hyperreactio luteinalis is a rare entity arising in pregnancy and in the setting of gestational trophoblastic diseases (ie choriocarcinoma, molar pregnancy) that presents with, typically, bilateral ovarian enlargement due to numerous follicle cysts. While the phenomenon is benign and spontaneously regresses following delivery or treatment, a specimen may be seen in pathology when oophorectomy or cystectomy is performed to exclude malignancy or to manage acute complications such as torsion. Such resections may exhibit overlapping microscopic features with cystic granulosa cell tumors. We thus reviewed 10 cases of hyperreactio luteinalis in the setting of pregnancy, the largest pathologic cohort to date, to highlight notable features of this disorder. Patients ranged from 22 to 30 yr old. Most patients (n=6) presented at time of cesarean section with incidentally discovered ovarian masses. Three patients presented in the postpartum period, and 1 underwent surgery at 28 wk gestation due to the finding of a unilateral ovarian mass. The ovaries ranged from 8.5 to 29 cm and were multicystic and bilateral in 8 of the cases. Histologic examination demonstrated multiple, variably sized cystic follicles lined by a granulosa cell layer of varying thickness and theca cells with marked eosinophilic cytoplasm. Stromal edema was often prominent, with theca cells occasionally noted in nests, cords, and as single cells in foci of edema. Mitoses were generally seen more often in the granulosa cell layer (mean=2.6 per high power fields) compared with the theca cell layer (mean=1 per 10 high power fields). This series documents the key features of hyperreactio luteinalis that differentiate it from the other benign mass forming lesions encountered in pregnancy, most notably large solitary follicle cyst of pregnancy and puerperium, as well as cystic granulosa cell tumors, especially the juvenile variant, which may also present during pregnancy. Of particular use in differentiating them from juvenile granulosa cell tumor is the absence of pale or vacuolated cytoplasm and solid growth of granulosa cells in cases of hyperreactio luteinalis.

Hormone-producing tumors of the ovary

The ovary is an endocrine organ that gives rise to a wide variety of neoplastic and tumorlike nonneoplastic conditions, some of which are associated with endocrine activity. The hormones produced may be steroidal or nonsteroidal. The ovary is unique among endocrine organs in reacting to the presence of nonendocrine tumors within it by abnormal or inappropriate production of sex steroidal hormones. A classification of hormone-producing ovarian lesions is proposed based on the World Health Organization's histologicai typing of ovarian tumors.

Granulosa cell, Sertoli-Leydig cell, and unclassified sex cord-stromal tumors associated with pregnancy: a clinicopathological analysis of thirty-six cases

Seventeen granulosa cell, thirteen Sertoli-Leydig cell and six unclassified sex cord-stromal tumors diagnosed during pregnancy or the puerperium were reviewed. Eleven patients presented with abdominal pain or swelling, five in shock, two with virilization, and one with vaginal bleeding. Three asymptomatic patients were explored because of a palpable mass and one because of an adnexal mass found on ultrasound examination. In thirteen patients the tumor was discovered during a cesarean section; five of them had had dystocia and in eight of them the tumor was an incidental finding. All the tumors were Stage I but 13 of them had ruptured; all but one were unilateral. Hemoperitoneum was present in seven cases. On microscopical examination many of the tumors differed from tumors in the same diagnostic categories occurring in the absence of pregnancy by having a disorderly arrangement of their cells, lacking recognizable differentiation in many areas, showing prominent edema, and containing unusually large numbers of lutein or Leydig cells. The last two features were most obtrusive in tumors removed at term. With one exception the patients were initially treated by conservative surgical procedures. Two of them received chemotherapy and two radiation therapy postoperatively. A hysterectomy and salpingo-oophorectomy was performed at a second operation in eight cases; no residual tumor was found in any of the specimens. Only one patient had a recurrence, which was treated surgically. Follow-up for an average of 4.7 years is available for 30 of the 36 patients; all of them were alive and free of disease at the time of the last examination.

Physiologic skin changes in pregnancy

Pregnancy produces many skin changes, some of which are specifically related to pregnancy (dermatoses of pregnancy) and others that are more common and called physiologic. These physiologic skin changes usually do not impair the health of the mother or the fetus; nevertheless, some can be cosmetically significant and of importance to the dermatologist.

Hirsutism: implications, etiology, and management

Hirsutism usually results from a subtle excess of androgens. As such, it is a clue to possible endocrine disturbance in addition to presenting cosmetic problems. We use the term hirsutism to mean male-pattern hirsutism--excessive growth of hair in areas where female subjects normally have considerably less than male subjects. An elevation of the plasma free (unbound) testosterone level is the single most consistent endocrinologic finding in hirsutism. The plasma free testosterone level is sometimes elevated when the total level of plasma testosterone is normal because testosterone-estradiol--binding globulin (TEBG) levels are often depressed in hirsute women. Frequent blood sampling is sometimes necessary to demonstrate subtle hyperandrogenic states since androgen levels in the blood are pulsatile and seemingly reflect episodic ovarian and adrenal secretion. The source of hyperandrogenemia can usually be determined from dexamethasone suppression testing. Those patients whose plasma free androgen levels do not suppress normally usually have functional ovarian hyperandrogenism (polycystic ovary syndrome variants). Very high plasma androgen levels or evidence of hypercortisolism, which is not normally suppressible by dexamethasone, should lead to the search for a tumor or Cushing's syndrome. Those patients in whom hyperandrogenemia is suppressed normally by dexamethasone have a form of the adrenogenital syndrome, a prolactinoma, obesity, or idiopathic hyperandrogenemia. In such patients, glucocorticoid therapy may reduce hirsutism and acne and normalize menses. The treatment of hirsutism resulting from functional ovarian hyperandrogenism is not as satisfactory; estrogen-progestin treatment is the most useful adjunct to cosmetic approaches to hirsutism in this country. However, other manifestations of polycystic ovary syndrome, such as infertility, may take precedence over hirsutism when an optimal therapeutic program is designed for many patients.

Differential ovarian and adrenal vein catheterization

Twenty-two hirsute women underwent percutaneous adrenal and ovarian vein catheterization to differentiate and localize excessive hormonal output. All studies were done under fluoroscopic control; catheter placement was verified by venography, and blood samples were withdrawn for hormonal analysis. The right ovarian vein was successfully sampled in 42 per cent of attempts; the left ovarian vein, in 75 per cent; the right adrenal vein, in 56 per cent; and the left adrenal vein, in 100 per cent. Bilateral catheterization did not prove clinically useful. First, anatomic variations in venous size and drainage made catheterization and bilateral sampling difficult. Second, adrenal secretion is both episodic and parallel, necessitating both simultaneous catheterization and serial sampling for adequate diagnosis. The stress of the procedure may provoke increased adrenal output. Third, since ovarian secretion is not parallel, and since increased hormone output has been documented in that ovary containing developing follicles or a corpus luteum, distinguishing ovarian dysfunction proved difficult. Finally, for a time-consuming procedure, patient discomfort cannot be disregarded. This technique has not proved to be a reliable means of determining the site of androgen hypersecretion and thus cannot be recommended in the routine evaluation of female hirsutism.