Postpartum fibroid degeneration associated with elevated procalcitonin levels

Abstract

Abstract Objectives To describe a novel presentation of severely elevated procalcitonin (PCT) levels associated with postpartum fibroid degeneration. Case presentation We report a case of a 34-year-old woman with multiple large fibroids who was found to have fevers and a severely elevated PCT level of 34.03 ng/mL 2 days postpartum. MRI revealed carneous degeneration of her fibroids, and other etiologies such as infection were ruled out. She was successfully treated with the use of intravenous non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics, as a precaution. This report indicates procalcitonin may be elevated secondary to the inflammatory state caused by degenerating fibroids. Informed consent was obtained from all individuals included in this study. Conclusions Uterine leiomyomas, or fibroids, are tumors of the female reproductive tract affecting anywhere from 20–40% of women. One known complication of fibroids is degeneration, when the fibroid can infarct due to a decrease in blood supply. This can cause an inflammatory state with the release of multiple inflammatory markers. During pregnancy, routine markers such as white blood cell counts may be unreliable. Other markers such as procalcitonin are not well-studied in pregnancy. This case provides practitioners an example where the marker procalcitonin can be used to more accurately assess an inflammatory state during pregnancy. It also provides alterative diagnoses in the workup of postpartum fever.