Extrapelvic Endometriosis

Anne C Davis, Davis AC, Jeffrey M. Goldberg, Anne Cashmore Davis, Goldberg JM
Seminars in reproductive medicine · 2016 · vol. 35(01) , pp. 098–101 · doi:10.1055/s-0036-1597122 · PMID:27992931 · W4237183341
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⚙ AI-generated summary by gemini-2.5-flash-lite, 2026-06-06 ⓘ

This review covers the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of rare extrapelvic endometriosis occurring in the umbilicus, abdominal wall, thorax, and vulva.

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⚙ AI-generated deep summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-06 · read from full text ⓘ

This review article examines extrapelvic endometriosis, focusing on the umbilicus, abdominal wall, thorax, and vulva, and discusses its proposed pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnostic approaches, and treatment recommendations. It notes that while intrapelvic endometriosis is widely attributed to retrograde menstruation, the mechanisms underlying extrapelvic disease remain elusive. Key issues highlighted include the rarity and complexity of extrapelvic manifestations and the resulting difficulty in establishing uniform diagnostic and management strategies, as well as reliance on published case reports and literature synthesis typical of reviews. This paper is centrally about endometriosis — specifically extrapelvic endometriosis across multiple non-pelvic anatomical sites.

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Abstract

Extrapelvic endometriosis is a rare and complex phenomenon. The pathologic mechanism of intrapelvic endometriosis is generally accepted as being largely due to retrograde menstruation through the fallopian tubes; however, the mechanism by which extrapelvic endometriosis forms has proven to be much more elusive. This article reviews the pathophysiology, clinical signs and symptoms, diagnostic techniques, and treatment recommendations for extrapelvic endometriosis of the umbilicus, abdominal wall, thorax, and vulva.
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Abstract

Extrapelvic endometriosis is a rare and complex phenomenon. The pathologic mechanism of intrapelvic endometriosis is generally accepted as being largely due to retrograde menstruation through the fallopian tubes; however, the mechanism by which extrapelvic endometriosis forms has proven to be much more elusive. This article reviews the pathophysiology, clinical signs and symptoms, diagnostic techniques, and treatment recommendations for extrapelvic endometriosis of the umbilicus, abdominal wall, thorax, and vulva. -

References

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Condition tags

endometriosis

MeSH descriptors

Abdominal Wall Abdominal Wall Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Thoracic Diseases Thoracic Diseases Thoracic Diseases Thoracic Diseases Umbilicus Umbilicus Vulvar Diseases Vulvar Diseases Vulvar Diseases Vulvar Diseases Female Humans Prognosis

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