A leiomyoma (plural is 'leiomyomata') is a benign smooth muscle neoplasm that is not premalignant. They can occur in any organ, but the most common forms occur in the uterus and the esophagus.
Etymology
Uterine leiomyomata
Uterine fibroids are leiomyomata of the uterine smooth muscle. As other leimyomata, they are benign, but may lead to excessive menstrual bleeding (menorrhagia), often cause anemia and may lead to infertility. Enucleation is removal of fibroids without removing the uterus (hysterectomy), which is also commonly performed. Laser surgery (called myolysis) is increasingly used, and provides a viable alternative to surgery.
Uterine leiomyomas originate in the myometrium and are classified by location:
Estrogen and progesterone usually stimulate their growth, and hormone suppression may hence decrease their size.
Esophageal
They are also the most common benign esophageal tumour, though this accounts for less than 1% of esophageal neoplasms. The remainder consists mainly of carcinomas.
References
See also
External links
The content of this page is retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leiomyoma under GFDL
