Accessory Cavitated Uterine Malformations (ACUM) are rare congenital malformations of the uterus that cause chronic pain, often for years, and are usually missed as most gynaecologists have not heard of them, and most scanners do not recognise them. They appear similar to fibroids from the outside, are mostly in the left side of the uterus, and can been removed in a similar way to a myomectomy.
Last week we operated on a 30 year old lady who has been having severe pain for 15 years and had 10 laparoscopies and a laparotomy for pelvic pain and endometriosis all of which failed to make the diagnosis!! Her long-standing pain resolved immediately post surgery and the prognosis for this condition is excellent if the diagnosis can be made in the first place. We have performed 4 of these procedures in the last few years, all of whom made excellent recoveries.
and recently published on them with Prof Davor Jurkovic, our scanning expert.