Does the fimbria have an embryologic origin distinct from that of the rest of the fallopian tube?

OBJECTIVE To propose a new theory describing the development of the fallopian tube fimbria. DESIGN Case series report. SETTING Metropolitan tertiary care children's hospital. PATIENT(S) Two girls, aged 12 and 20 years, who presented with pelvic pain. INTERVENTION(S) Magnetic resonance imaging, laparoscopy with salpingectomy, and pathologic analysis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S) Description of a novel theory regarding the embryologic development of the fallopian tube and its fimbria. RESULT(S) In two non-sexually active girls the cause of their pelvic pain was found to be a hydrosalpinx associated with a discontinuous fallopian tube in which the fimbriated end did not directly communicate with the remainder of the fallopian tube. CONCLUSION(S) The two cases of pure congenital fallopian tube atresia, the presence of fimbriae in patients with müllerian (uterine, cervical, and vaginal) agenesis, and the role of the fimbria in ovarian-like and peritoneal cancers, support a novel hypothesis that the fimbria of the fallopian tube may arise separately from the rest of the tube.