A Rare Case of an Androgen-Producing Stromal Luteoma of the Ovary in a Postmenopausal Woman, Diagnosed by Selective Venous Blood Sampling
June 2016
in “
Gynecological Endocrinology
”
TLDR Doctors used a special blood sampling technique to diagnose a woman's rare ovarian tumor that was producing male hormones.
In 2016, a 55-year-old postmenopausal woman with severe virilization symptoms was diagnosed with a rare androgen-producing stromal luteoma of the ovary, a condition that was difficult to detect due to the tumor's small size. Conventional imaging methods such as CT, MRI, and ultrasound were unsuccessful in locating the tumor. Elevated serum testosterone levels suggested hyperandrogenism, but the exact source was identified only after selective venous catheterization and hormonal sampling (SVCHS) pinpointed significantly higher testosterone levels in the right ovarian vein. Following the diagnosis, a laparoscopic right oophrectomy was performed, leading to the regression of the patient's symptoms. The case study emphasizes the effectiveness of SVCHS as a diagnostic tool for localizing small hormone-producing ovarian tumors when other imaging techniques fail.
