PAN AFRICAN JOURNAL OF LIFE SCIENCES
e-ISSN: 2672-5924
Volume 8, No. 1, April 2024
Pages 764-767
DOI: 10.36108/pajols/4202/80.0120
Sub-Septate Uterus: An Incidental Radiological Finding in a Woman with History of Recurrent Miscarriage. A Case Report
Emeka S. Obirija1, Rasheed M. Wemimo2* , Okonkwo J. Ebele 3, Latifat T. Oduola-Owoo4.
1Department Department of Radiology, Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospi-tal, Abakaliki Ebonyi State.
2Department of Anatomic Pathology, College of Medicine and Allied Medical Science, Federal Uni-versity Dutse, Jigawa State
3Deparment of Radiology, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi Araba, Lagos State
4Department of Radiology, Federal Medical Centre, Ebute Meta, Lagos
Abstract
Background: The septate uterus, which is the most common Mullerian duct anomaly, results from the abnormal fusion of the Mullerian duct during embryonic life, and it is usually associated with poor obstetric outcomes such as recurrent spontaneous abortions, subfertility, preterm labour, and reproductive failure. A large proportion of the patients that are affected remain asymptomatic owing to lack of indication for abdominal ultrasound before conception, and the problems are mainly detected after several pregnancy losses. The exact aetiology of the septate uterus is unknown but is caused by incomplete resorption of the uterovaginal septum after fusion of the Mullerian duct during embryogenesis.
Case Presentation: We present a 32-year-old Para 0+3 woman referred to the radiology department for ultrasonography and hysterosalpingography (HSG) on account of recurrent miscarriage, which occurs within the first trimester of gestation. She has had three (3) consecutive miscarriages within the last 4 years, of pregnancies which were achieved spontaneously and were lost between the gestational ages of 9-12 weeks. She was investigated with ultrasonography, which demonstrated a bulky uterine appearance with two endometrial cavities that is connected to one cervical canal. Hysterosalpingography (HSG) showed a contrast-filled partly divided uterus with inter-cornual angles of 34º and intercornual distance of 1.92cm. The patient had hysteroscopic septum resection with a satisfactory outcome given addressing other medical problems that could militate against conception and has been on monthly follow-up.
Conclusion: Radiological investigation of patients with recurrent miscarriages is indispensable for optimal evaluation to achieve accurate diagnosis and identify women whose problems are amenable to specialized treatments.
Keywords: Hysterosalpingography (HSG), Septate uterus, radiology, recurrent miscarriage