Unicollis Bicornuate Uterus - Erler Zimmer 3D anatomy Series MP2104

This dissection model highlighting a Unicollis Bicornuate Uterus is part of the exclusive Monash 3D anatomy series, a comprehensive series of human dissections reproduced with ultra-high resolution color 3D printing.

Clinical History.

A 36-year-old woman has a large postpartum hemorrhage after the birth of her 4th child by breech delivery. Her previous 3 children were all breech births and no miscarriages. She has a history of intermittent mild abdominal pain. Obstetricians were unable to stop the bleeding and performed an emergency radical hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. The patient and baby made a full recovery.

Pathology

This hysterectomy specimen is of a bicornuate uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries; coronally sliced and mounted to visualize the cut and external surfaces. Both uterine bodies are of equal size and share a common cervical canal. A number of small cysts are present in the cervix.

Further information

A bicornuate uterus is a congenital uterine malformation in which the bottom of the uterus has an indentation of more than 1 cm. The vagina and cervix are generally normal. There is generally one cervix. There are usually two moderately separated endometrial cavities. The bicornuate uterus develops during embryogenesis when the mullerian ducts fuse only partially instead of fusing completely.

The risk of developing these malformations increases when exposed in utero to diethylstilbestrol (DHS), a synthetic estrogen previously used to prevent pregnancy loss. The karyotype of most women with uterine malformations is 46.XX.

These malformations are present in about 0.5 percent of women, although the actual number may be greater than that not all women are symptomatic. Symptoms may include pelvic pain (cyclic and noncyclic), abnormal uterine bleeding and discharge, and urinary tract infection (UTI). In pregnancy, bicornuate uterus can lead to recurrent miscarriage, preterm delivery, fetal growth restriction, fetal mis-presentation, and placenta previa. Incorrect fetal presentation leads to an increased need for cesarean section. There is an increased risk of postpartum or placental retention and postpartum hemorrhage.

Bicornuate uterus is usually diagnosed by pelvic ultrasound. MRI scanning is rarely used to consolidate the diagnosis. Most cases do not require any treatment.

What advantages does the Monash University anatomical dissection collection offer over plastic models or plastinated human specimens?

• Each body replica has been carefully created from selected patient X-ray data or human cadaver specimens selected by a highly trained team of anatomists at the Monash University Center for Human Anatomy Education to illustrate a range of clinically important areas of anatomy with a quality and fidelity that cannot be achieved with conventional anatomical models-this is real anatomy, not stylized anatomy.
• Each body replica has been rigorously checked by a team of highly trained anatomists at the Center for Human Anatomy Education, Monash University, to ensure the anatomical accuracy of the final product.
• The body replicas are not real human tissue and therefore not subject to any barriers of transportation, import, or use in educational facilities that do not hold an anatomy license. The Monash 3D Anatomy dissection series avoids these and other ethical issues that are raised when dealing with plastinated human remains.