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Case Reports
. 2022 Jan 1;41(1):93-97.
doi: 10.1097/PGP.0000000000000766.

Acinar Melanosis of the Bartholin Gland: A Report of 3 Cases

Kaveri M Khera, Ali Moghimi, Leigh Cataldo, Beena Kumar, Paul M Gibbs
Case Reports

Acinar Melanosis of the Bartholin Gland: A Report of 3 Cases

Kaveri M Khera et al. Int J Gynecol Pathol. .

Abstract

Melanocytic pigmentation occurs in multiple sites in the lower female genital tract, but is rare within benign cysts of the vulva. We report 3 patients with multiloculated cystic lesions of the vulvar vestibule exhibiting prominent melanocytic pigmentation. The current cases differ from a previous report of melanosis in a Bartholin gland cyst in that the population of melanocytes occupies the acinar structures of the gland, rather than a squamous-lined surface. A similar cell population is demonstrated by immunoperoxidase methods in a fourth patient's nonpigmented gland, suggesting that melanin production may arise in a native, rather than metaplastic, cell population.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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