OC15.01: External validation of the ultrasound‐based endometriosis scoring system (UBESS)

This is a preliminary external validation of the ultrasound-based endometriosis scoring system (UBESS). The main aim was to predict the level of complexity of laparoscopic surgery for endometriosis, based on ultrasound in order to assess its applicability in general gynecological practice. An international multicentre prospective observational study was conducted. The centres include both advanced laparoscopic and level 3 ultrasound units. The UBESS was designed to correlate with the RCOG surgical stages 1, 2 and 3; stage 1: no hard markers for endometriosis; stage 2: endometrioma +/- ovarian mobility; stage 3: bowel deep endometriosis (DE) or pouch of Douglas (POD) obliteration. The patients had chronic pelvic pain and/or symptoms of endometriosis and were recruited between 3/12/2015 and 14/02/2018. This occurred prior to undergoing surgery. 160/306 women were included in the final analysis. The mean age at the diagnosis was 31.98 years. The mean duration of symptoms was 68.81 months. The prevalence of symptoms was as follows: LIF pain (70%), RIF pain (58%), lower abdominal pain (71.3%), dyspareunia (55.3%), dysmenorrhoea (80%) and dyschezia (52.7%). The accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values for UBESS to predict surgical complexity are summarised in table 1. UBESS is being utilised to predict the level of complexity of laparoscopic surgery for endometriosis. It has the potential to facilitate the triaging of women with suspected endometriosis to the most appropriate surgical expertise required for laparoscopic endometriosis surgery and appears to be generally applicable in general gynecological practice worldwide.