Calcified and Impacted Cervical Fibroid in a Young Female in a Low-resource Setting Mistaken for Bladder Mass: Case Report and Literature Review

Female pelvic masses could be difficult to diagnose given the fact that there are so many structures within the pelvis that could be related to the mass. These benign or malignant neoplasms could be diagnosed through careful and systematic evaluation by history, biochemical, imaging, and surgical approaches. Although an ultrasound scan is often the first-line imaging modality for the evaluation of pelvic masses, it could be limited by poor acoustic windows and poor depth penetration. However, in low-resource settings, its usage is nonnegotiable. The case of a 26-year-old female with a 5-year history of lower abdominal swelling is hereby presented. The swelling was gradual in onset and associated with occasional dull lower abdominal cramps that radiate to the back, urinary retention, dysuria, and urinary frequency. An ultrasound scan diagnosed an ovarian mass and uterine fibroid with the suspicion of a bladder mass. She had a laparotomy, in which a left ovarian mass and a huge calcified pelvic mass extending from the region of the isthmus of the uterus through the posterior bladder wall and the anterior vaginal wall were discovered. Left ovariectomy and removal of the mass were done; a histologic diagnosis of mature ovarian teratoma and cervical fibroid was made. She had a smooth postoperative recovery on antibiotics and analgesics. The diagnostic challenge of pelvic masses even with the use of USS is demonstrated, and laparotomy has shown to be a diagnostic procedure here. Preoperative magnetic resonance imaging could be helpful when available and affordable.