This page is part of the site called Surgical Pathology of the Canine Female Reproductive Tract by

Dr Rob Foster

OVC Pathobiology

University of Guelph


Disease of the Canine Uterine Tube

Table of Contents


Disease
# of cases
Accessory uterine tube
1
Hydrosalpynx
14

ovarian remnant syndrome

10

obstruction

3

Neoplasia

 

leiomyoma

1
Unexplained haemorrhage
1
 

 

 


 

The Uterine Tube

Very few people take any notice of the uterine tube in dogs. Apart from the infundibulum which is occasionally sampled with the ovary and bursa, any examination is purely incidental. It is the age old situation of no looking no finding!

Gelberg and McEntee (1986) report on 37 dogs with lesions of the uterine tube. They found paramesonephric remnants (4 cases), mesonephric remnants (9 cases), Uterine tube cysts (13 cases), salyingitis (5 cases), hyperplasia (1 case), adenomyosis (1 case), and neoplasia including fibroadenoma (1 case), adenomyoma (1 case), adenoma (1 case), adenocarcinoma (1 case), and metastatic granulosa cell tumor (2 cases).

 

Gelberg HB, McEntee K (1986) Pathology of the canine and feline uterine tube. Vet Pathol 23: 770-775

Cystic structures

The most common lesions in dogs are cystic remnants of embryonic structures - cystic mesonephric ducts, paramesonephic ducts and accessory uterine tube. An outline of the basic structure and location of these is outlined in the section on the Canine Ovary.

Paramesonephric remnants

These structures are located in the mesosalpynx and have a pseudostratified epithelium that may be partly ciliated. The mucosa forms papillae if it is folded. There is a thin lining of smooth muscle or collagen. Gelberg and McEntee (1986) report on 4 cases.

 

Cystic duplication of a uterine tube. Notice prominent smooth muscle wall.

Gelberg HB, McEntee K (1986) Pathology of the canine and feline uterine tube. Vet Pathol 23: 770-775

Mesonephric remnants

These are located in the mesosalpynx and have a simple columnar to cuboidal epithelium. Ciliated cells may be present. Gelberg and McEntee (1986) report 9 cases.

Gelberg HB, McEntee K (1986) Pathology of the canine and feline uterine tube. Vet Pathol 23: 770-775

Uterine tube cysts

These structures are cysts in the mucosa of the uterine tube. Gelberg and McEntee (1986) report on 13 cases.

 

Gelberg HB, McEntee K (1986) Pathology of the canine and feline uterine tube. Vet Pathol 23: 770-775

Hydrosalpynx

An obstructed uterine tube fills with fluid, becomes distended, thin walled and tortuous. The obstruction is usually microscopic and could include a structure from inflammation, a neoplasm or segmental aplasia. The most common cause of hydrosalpynx is obstruction of the uterine tube from incomplete ovariohysterectomy. Some cases of ovarian remnant syndrome have this change. It is an unusual change otherwise.

Hydrosalpynx

Sontas et al 2011 reported on a dog with a very large cyst in the region of the right ovary of a dog that was previously spayed but which had a contralateral ovary. The structure was muliloculated and epithelial lined. It had a smooth muscle wall. They called it an ovarian cyst. My thoughts after examining their photographs was that this was extreme hydrosalpynx in ovarian remnant syndrome.

Sontas BH, Milani C, Romagnoli S, Bertolini G, Caldin M, Caliari D, Zappulli V, Mollo A. (2011) A Huge Ovarian Cyst in a Hysterectomized Bitch. Reprod Dom Anim 2011, 46: 1107-1111

Inflammation

Salpyngitis

It is my experience that salpyngitis is exceptionally rare, especially considering how common is endometritis and pyometra. This is in contrast to the situation in the cat.

Gelberg and McEntee (1986) report on 5 cases.

 

Gelberg HB, McEntee K (1986) Pathology of the canine and feline uterine tube. Vet Pathol 23: 770-775

Growth disorders

Hyperplasia

Epithelial hyperplasia of the uterine tube is really rare.

Gelberg and McEntee (1986) report on 1 case. I have seen one case of focal hyperplasia.

 

Gelberg HB, McEntee K (1986) Pathology of the canine and feline uterine tube. Vet Pathol 23: 770-775

 

Neoplasia

Primary neoplasia

If you want to find a neoplasma of the uterine tube, you will have to look at a huge number of them. Some species develop carcinoma of the uterine tube in large numbers - humans and chickens are the main ones. Many cases of ovarian carcinoma in these species begin as carcinoma of the uterine tube or its equivalent (Fallopian tube in the case of these two).

Epithelial

Adenoma

Gelberg and McEntee (1986) report on 1 case. I have seen one case where the adenoma was in the infundibulum- within the bursal cavity.

Marino et al (2007) reported 2 cases of adenoma of the uterine tube in the infundbular portion.

Adenoma of the infundibulum within the bursa

Gelberg HB, McEntee K (1986) Pathology of the canine and feline uterine tube. Vet Pathol 23: 770-775

Marino G, Quartuccio M, Cristarella S, Nicòtina PA, Zanghì A. Adenoma of the uterine tube in the bitch: two case reports. Vet Res Commun. 2007 Aug;31 Suppl 1:173-5. doi: 10.1007/s11259-007-0025-4. PMID: 17682868.

Adenocarcinoma

Gelberg and McEntee (1986) report on 1 case.

 

Gelberg HB, McEntee K (1986) Pathology of the canine and feline uterine tube. Vet Pathol 23: 770-775

Mesenchymal

Leiomyoma

Kemal Ekter et al (2006) report one case of unilateral leiomyoma of the mesosalpynx. I have seen a leiomyoma of the uterine tube.

 

Kemal Eker, Mehmet Rifat Salmanoglu, and Sevil Atalay Vural (2006) Unilateral Leiomyoma in the Mesosalpinx of a Dog J Am Anim Hosp Assoc 42 392-394

 
 

Mixed tumours

Fibroadenoma

Gelberg and McEntee (1986) report on 1 case.

 

Gelberg HB, McEntee K (1986) Pathology of the canine and feline uterine tube. Vet Pathol 23: 770-775

 

Adenomyoma

Gelberg and McEntee (1986) report on 1 case.

 

Gelberg HB, McEntee K (1986) Pathology of the canine and feline uterine tube. Vet Pathol 23: 770-775

 

metastatic granulosa cell tumor

Gelberg and McEntee (1986) report on 2 cases.

 

Gelberg HB, McEntee K (1986) Pathology of the canine and feline uterine tube. Vet Pathol 23: 770-775

 

Adenomyosis

Adenomyosis is where the epithelium of the tube is found within or bulging through the smooth muscle layer. Just how this happens is open to speculation - from a weakness in the smooth muscle to pressure from within the lumen forcing the epithelium through. In other species, this is reported to occur with treatment with growth promoters.

Gelberg and McEntee (1986) report on 1 case.

 

Gelberg HB, McEntee K (1986) Pathology of the canine and feline uterine tube. Vet Pathol 23: 770-775