Cytologic features of hydatidiform mole: a case report.

Background: Manifestation of a hydatidiform mole in a cervical cytologic specimen is extremely rare.

Case: A 52-year-old woman presented with heavy vaginal bleeding. Transvaginal ultrasound scan showed a 2.5 x 2.2 x 2.0-cm highly vascular mass-like lesion, containing multiple cystic areas in the lower part of the uterus and partly extending into the cervix and vagina. Cervical cytology revealed much obscuring fresh blood and low cellularity. Most of the cells were large and pleomorphic with orangeophilic cytoplasms and hyperchromatic nuclei and had been misdiagnosed as squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix. Histologic examination of endometrial curettage revealed a partial hydatidiform mole with involvement of the cervix.

Conclusion: Although correct interpretation of the cytologic findings of a hydatidiform mole is difficult, our careful search revealed 3 types of trophoblastic cells, especially syncytiotrophoblastic cells, making possible the accurate diagnosis of a hydatidiform mole in a cervical specimen, together with the clinical findings. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report in the literature of a hydatidiform mole in a cervical cytologic specimen.