Preoperative assessment and diagnosis of endometriosis: are we any closer?

Martin Hirsch, Colin J. Davis, Davis CJ
Current opinion in obstetrics & gynecology · 2015 · vol. 27(4) , pp. 284–290 · doi:10.1097/gco.0000000000000188 · PMID:26125979 · W2396105292
Review OA: closed CC0 ⤵ 12 in-corpus citations
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⚙ AI-generated summary by gemini-2.5-flash-lite, 2026-06-07 ⓘ

This review discusses the ongoing challenges and recent progress in developing noninvasive preoperative diagnostic tests for endometriosis, highlighting miRNA as a promising biomarker despite current limitations.

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Abstract

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The management of endometriosis has progressed vastly with medical treatments providing a large role in controlling endometriosis symptoms. Despite these advances we still lack an accurate noninvasive test to diagnose endometriosis. This has a large role in the delay to diagnosis, management and progression of the disease amongst a population that is choosing to conceive later. RECENT FINDINGS: Endometriosis is now thought to affect 1 in 10 women with patient annual healthcare costs estimated at &OV0556;9579. The diagnosis of this disease is still delayed by an average of 6-9 years allowing disease and symptom progression. Researchers have assessed a wide variety of noninvasive markers from urinary derivatives to MRI. There has been limited success in producing a highly sensitive and specific preoperative test for endometriosis. Novel markers such as miRNA provide the most encouraging diagnostic accuracy. SUMMARY: The development of a noninvasive accurate marker for endometriosis is a research target and priority of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. The current markers in use have moderate sensitivity and sensitivity. The inflammatory basis for the disease underpins many biomarkers but also many other concomitant diseases reducing accuracy and increasing false positive results.

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Condition tags

endometriosischronic_pelvic_pain

MeSH descriptors

Delayed Diagnosis Endometriosis Infertility, Female Mass Screening MicroRNAs Pelvic Pain Women's Health Biomarkers Biomarkers Biomarkers Delayed Diagnosis Delayed Diagnosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Female Female Gene Expression Profiling Gene Expression Profiling

Citation neighborhood (2-hop)

Papers in the corpus that this work cites (lower rings, blue) and that cite this one (upper rings, green). Dot size scales with the paper's in-corpus citation count — bigger dot = more influential within the endo/adeno field. Click a dot to open that paper. Outer rings show 2-hop neighbours — papers reached through the immediate citers/citees. [ collapse to 1-hop ]

References (100)

Cited by (12)

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License: CC0 · commercial use OK