{"paper_id":"0a451399-3013-45c1-a001-1c5f16cd5cda","body_text":"Subscribe to RSS\nDOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1750225\nDifferences in intensity and quality of bowel symptoms in patients with colorectal endometriosis: a case-control study.\nAuthors\nBackground Patients suffering from colorectal deep endometriosis (DE) experience gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms with almost the same frequency as gynaecological pain symptoms. Preoperatively existing GI symptoms may translate into pathological Gastrointestinal Quality of Life Index (GIQLI) and Low Anterior Resection Syndrome (LARS) scores.\nObjective This study aims to assess the prevalence of GI complaints reflected by changes in LARS and GIQLI scores in patients with colorectal DE prior to surgical treatment and compare those to a healthy control group.\nDesign Prospective questionnaire-based case control study\nSettings Tertiary referral centre for endometriosis, Department of Gynaecology of the Hospital St. John of God in Vienna, Austria\nPatients The study included a total of 97 patients with histologically confirmed colorectal DE with radical surgical treatment and 96 women in which DE was excluded via transvaginal sonography (TVS) by an expert sonographer or visually during a previous caesarean section within 12 months of inclusion.\nMain outcome measures Gastrointestinal symptoms reflected by LARS and GIQLI scores were evaluated presurgically and in controls.\nResults A total of 193 premenopausal patients were included in this study. A mean GIQLI of 90.7 ± 22.0 and 129.4 ± 11.1 was observed among patients and controls, respectively, showing a significantly higher morbidity concerning gastrointestinal symptoms and decreased quality of life (QoL) compared to healthy controls (p <.001). The LARS score results demonstrated that 18.5% of the patients with bowel DE presented with a major LARS and 27,8% with a minor LARS presurgically compared to 2.1% and 9.4% of control patients (p <.001).\nLimitations Differences in extent of other DE sites and extent of colorectal DE may lead to further changes in GI symptoms.\nConclusion Patients with colorectal DE experience a high intensity and quality of gastrointestinal symptoms translating into a decreased QoL and pathological GIQLI and LARS scores already presurgically. As a consequence, these instruments should be interpreted with caution in a postoperative setting and should routinely be evaluated presurgically in order to evaluate baseline values of changes in bowel function in women undergoing colorectal surgery for DE.\nPublication History\nArticle published online:\n10 June 2022\n© 2022. Thieme. All rights reserved.\nGeorg Thieme Verlag\nRüdigerstraße 14, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany","source_license":"CC0","license_restricted":false}