A CASE OF ENDOMETRIOSIS ARISED IN THE APPENDIX

A 60-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital because of right lower abdominal pain in May, 1996. The patient occasionally felt abdominal pain since July, 1995 and was pointed out having a deformation of the ileocecum by a barium enema study at another hospital in December. After admission, a colonoscopic examination revealed an elevated lesion at the root of appendix. The lesion revealed a morphology of submucosal tumor centering at the appendiceal openning, the appendiceal openning dilated, and a part of the tumor with reddening was exposed. Biopsy offered no definitive diagnosis. Because of persisting abdominal pain, a removal of the appendix with partial excision of the cecum was carried out with a diagnosis of tumor of the root of appendix. The resected appendix was grayish white in color and elastic slightly hard. Histopathological diagnosis of ectopic endometriosis was made. Gastrointestinal endometriosis is relatively rare, especially that arised in the appendix. This rare case of endometriosis of the appendix with some notes is reported in this paper.