Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data
Citation:
Radswiki T, Yap J, Baba Y, et al. Gartner duct cyst. Reference article, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 24 Apr 2024) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-12523
Gartner duct cysts develop from embryologic remnants of the Wolffian (mesonephric) duct. They are often noticed incidentally on ultrasound or MRI.
Associations
Gartner duct cysts most often are isolated findings, but can also be associated with abnormalities of the metanephric urinary system or in Herlyn-Werner-Wunderlich syndrome 4-7
They may cause mass effect on adjacent structures.
Location
Gartner duct cysts are located in the anterolateral wall of the proximal (superior) portion of the vagina 2 and are typically above the level of the most inferior aspect of the pubic symphysis.
Microscopic appearance
Like other cysts, they are lined with non-mucinous cuboidal or columnar epithelium.
Typically, they are simple cystic lesions arising from the anterolateral aspect of the superior vagina. They are usually small (<2 cm) although occasionally they can become very large (up to several centimeters) 3.
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Treatment and prognosis
Complications
In rare cases with larger cysts, dyspareunia and problems in obstetric delivery have been described 3.
General imaging differential considerations include:
Bartholin gland cyst: their location at or below the level of the pubic symphysis and usually arising from the posterolateral wall of the vagina; this helps to differentiate them from Gartner duct cysts
urethral diverticulum: located around the urethra
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1. Hahn W, Israel G, Lee V. MRI of Female Urethral and Periurethral Disorders. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2004;182(3):677-82. doi:10.2214/ajr.182.3.1820677 - Pubmed
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2. Siegelman E, Outwater E, Banner M, Ramchandani P, Anderson T, Schnall M. High-Resolution MR Imaging of the Vagina. Radiographics. 1997;17(5):1183-203. doi:10.1148/radiographics.17.5.9308110 - Pubmed
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3. Hagspiel K. Giant Gartner Duct Cyst: Magnetic Resonance Imaging Findings. Abdom Imaging. 1995;20(6):566-8. doi:10.1007/BF01256713 - Pubmed
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4. Arumugam A, Kumar G, Si L et-al. Gartner duct cyst in pregnancy presenting as a prolapsing pelvic mass. Biomed Imaging Interv J. 2007;3 (4): e46. doi:10.2349/biij.3.4.e46 - Free text at pubmed - Pubmed citation
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5. Lee MJ, Yoder IC, Papanicolaou N et-al. Large Gartner duct cyst associated with a solitary crossed ectopic kidney: imaging features. J Comput Assist Tomogr. 15 (1): 149-51. - Pubmed citation
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6 .Li YW, Sheih CP, Chen WJ. MR imaging and sonography of Gartner's duct cyst and single ectopic ureter with ipsilateral renal dysplasia. Pediatr Radiol. 1992;22 (6): 472-3. - Pubmed citation
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7. Dwyer PL, Rosamilia A. Congenital urogenital anomalies that are associated with the persistence of Gartner's duct: a review. Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. 2006;195 (2): 354-9. doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2005.10.815 - Pubmed citation
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8. Walker DK, Salibian RA, Salibian AD et-al. Overlooked diseases of the vagina: a directed anatomic-pathologic approach for imaging assessment. Radiographics. 2011;31 (6): 1583-98. doi:10.1148/rg.316115531 - Pubmed citation
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