A Gartner's duct cyst (sometimes incorrectly referred to as ''vaginal inclusion cyst'') is a benign

vaginal cyst Vaginal cysts are uncommon benign cysts that develop in the vaginal wall. The type of epithelial tissue lining a cyst is used to classify these growths. They can be congenital. They can present in childhood and adulthood. The most common type is ...

that originates from the

Gartner's duct Gartner's duct, also known as Gartner's canal or the ductus longitudinalis epoophori, is a potential embryological remnant in human female development of the mesonephric duct in the development of the urinary and reproductive organs. It was disco ...

, which is a vestigial remnant of the

mesonephric duct The mesonephric duct (also known as the Wolffian duct, archinephric duct, Leydig's duct or nephric duct) is a paired organ that forms during the embryonic development of humans and other mammals and gives rise to male reproductive organs. Stru ...

(wolffian duct) in females. They are typically small asymptomatic cysts that occur along the lateral walls of the vagina, following the course of the duct. They can present in adolescence with painful menstruation (dysmenorrhea) or difficulty inserting a tampon. They can also enlarge to substantial proportions and be mistaken for urethral diverticulum or cystocele. In some rare instances, they can be congenital. There is a small association between Gartner's duct cysts and metanephric urinary anomalies, such as ectopic ureter and ipsilateral

renal hypoplasia Renal hypoplasia is an abnormality that a person is born with in which one or both of the kidneys are smaller than normal (hypoplastic) but with normal structure. It is defined as abnormally small kidneys, where the size is less than two standa ...

. Symptoms of a Gartner's duct cyst include:

infection An infection is the invasion of tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmissible disease or communicable dis ...

s, bladder dysfunction,

abdominal pain Abdominal pain, also known as a stomach ache, is a symptom associated with both non-serious and serious medical issues. Common causes of pain in the abdomen include gastroenteritis and irritable bowel syndrome. About 15% of people have a m ...

vaginal discharge Vaginal discharge is a mixture of liquid, cells, and bacteria that lubricate and protect the vagina. This mixture is constantly produced by the cells of the vagina and cervix, and it exits the body through the vaginal opening. The composition, amou ...

, and

urinary incontinence Urinary incontinence (UI), also known as involuntary urination, is any uncontrolled leakage of urine. It is a common and distressing problem, which may have a large impact on quality of life. It has been identified as an important issue in geri ...

. The size of the cyst is usually less than 2 cm. On T2-weighted imaging, it manifests as hyperintense signal as most of its contents are fluid in nature. If the contents of the cyst are blood or protenanous, it will show high T1 signal and low T2 signal.

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{{Medical resources , DiseasesDB = 30725 , ICD10 = {{ICD10, Q, 52.4 , ICD9 = {{ICD9, 752.41 , ICDO = , OMIM = , MedlinePlus = , eMedicineSubj = , eMedicineTopic = , MeshID = , GeneReviewsName = Cysts