INFLUENCE OF HORMONE SUBSTITUTION THERAPY ON POSTMENOPAUSAL UTERUS

In a 58-year-old postmenopausal woman blood flow and blood pool images of bone scintigraphy showed a focus of increased activity in the righ t pelvic region. Computed tomography and ultrasound exhibited no abnor malities in the abdomen; especially the uterus and ovaries were normal . Careful anamnestic evaluation revealed that the patient received a l ong-term peroral estrogen/gestagen replacement therapy for the prevent ion of osteoporosis, but did not have menstruation-like bleedings for the last twelve months of therapy. At time of admission, the patient w as on day 25 of hormone replacement therapy, and the uterus was, there fore, in a premenstrual stage. Hence, despite cessation of bleedings i n postmenopausal women, one should think of hormone replacement therap y as an explanation for vascular pelvic tumors seen by the first two p hases of bone scintigraphy, before further diagnostic steps are undert aken.