CASE RECORDS of the MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL. Case 28-2016: A 31-Year-Old Woman with Infertility

Female Genital Tuberculosis

Female genital tuberculosis (FGTB) is an important cause of morbidity and infertility worldwide. Mycobacterium tuberculosis most commonly spreads to the genital tract from a focus elsewhere in the body and affects the bilateral fallopian tubes and/or endometrium. Many patients with FGTB have indolent disease and are only diagnosed after evaluation for infertility. Women may present with menstrual irregularities, lower abdominal or pelvic pain, or abnormal vaginal discharge. Given the low sensitivity of diagnostic tests, various composite reference standards are used to diagnose FGTB, including some combination of endoscopic findings, microbiological or molecular testing, and histopathological evidence in gynecological specimens. Early treatment with a standard regimen of a 2-month intensive phase with isoniazid, rifampin, ethambutol, and pyrazinamide, followed by a 4-month continuation phase with isoniazid and rifampin, is recommended to prevent irreversible organ damage. However, even with treatment, FGTB can lead to infertility or pregnancy-related complications, and stigma is pervasive.

Local immune recognition of trophoblast in early human pregnancy: controversies and questions

The role of the maternal immune system in reproductive success in humans remains controversial. Here we focus on the events that occur in the maternal decidua during the first few weeks of human pregnancy, because this is the site at which maternal leukocytes initially interact with and can recognize fetal trophoblast cells, potentially involving allorecognition by both T cells and natural killer (NK) cells. NK cells are the dominant leukocyte population in first-trimester decidua, and genetic studies point to a role of allorecognition by uterine NK cells in establishing a boundary between the mother and the fetus. By contrast, definitive evidence that allorecognition by decidual T cells occurs during the first trimester is lacking. Thus, our view is that during the crucial period when the placenta is established, damaging T cell-mediated adaptive immune responses towards placental trophoblast are minimized, whereas NK cell allorecognition contributes to successful implantation and healthy pregnancy.

Obstructive uropathy as initial presentation of genitourinary tuberculosis and masquerading as a postsurgical complication

A 46-year-old woman who had a recent total abdominal hysterectomy presented with a 1 month history of lower abdominal pain, 1 week of nausea and vomiting as well as decreased urinary output preceded by a year of significant unintentional weight loss. On renal imaging, she was found to have bilateral hydronephrosis and hydroureters in the setting of bilateral distal ureteric obstruction complicated with acute kidney injury and severe hyperkalaemia requiring haemodialysis. The initial concern was for ureteric injury, a known complication of abdominal hysterectomy procedures, however, a urological intervention, performed 9 months later to relieve the ureteric obstruction, revealed purulent material within the left ureter that was smear positive for acid fast bacilli. A GeneXpert test was positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis She was diagnosed with genitourinary tuberculosis and responded well to antitubercular treatment and haemodialysis was discontinued after the surgery relieved her ureteric obstruction.