Mesodermal Stromal Polyp

A 56-year-old woman was bothered by “something protruding” from her vagina. She had no pain, bleeding, or dyspareunia.

Examination revealed a 1-cm-diameter polypoid lesion on the right side of the vagina and a rectocele, pictured here. The lesion, which had a cobblestone surface, was excised under local anesthesia by Robert P. Blereau, MD of Morgan City, La. Pathologic evaluation confirmed the diagnosis of a mesodermal stromal polyp.

Dr Blereau comments that a polyp may present in females at any age, from newborn to elderly, and is seen most commonly in women older than 20 years. Interestingly, one third of patients with vaginal polyps are pregnant at the time of diagnosis. It is important to distinguish this benign polyp from sarcoma botryoides, which rarely presents in patients older than 8 years, is located higher in the genital tract, and grows rapidly.