Does the fimbria have an embryologic origin distinct from that of the rest of the fallopian tube?

Objective: To propose a new theory describing the development of the fallopian tube fimbria.

Design: Case series report.

Setting: Metropolitan tertiary care children's hospital.

Patient(s): Two girls, aged 12 and 20 years, who presented with pelvic pain.

Intervention(s): Magnetic resonance imaging, laparoscopy with salpingectomy, and pathologic analysis.

Main Outcome Measure(s): Description of a novel theory regarding the embryologic development of the fallopian tube and its fimbria.

Result(s): In two non-sexually active girls the cause of their pelvic pain was found to be a hydrosalpinx associated with a discontinuous fallopian tube in which the fimbriated end did not directly communicate with the remainder of the fallopian tube.

Conclusion(s): The two cases of pure congenital fallopian tube atresia, the presence of fimbriae in patients with müllerian (uterine, cervical, and vaginal) agenesis, and the role of the fimbria in ovarian-like and peritoneal cancers, support a novel hypothesis that the fimbria of the fallopian tube may arise separately from the rest of the tube.