The role of surgery in the management of endometriosis

T J Williams, Williams TJ
Mayo Clinic proceedings · 1975 · vol. 50(4) , pp. 198–203 · PMID:1123935 · W2395396650
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Surgery plays a role in endometriosis management for diagnosing ovarian masses, relieving pain, improving infertility, and treating other organ involvement, with considerations for patient age and reproductive desires.

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Abstract

Surgery has a specific and realistic place in the management of endometriosis. In the presence of an ovarian mass, diagnosis to rule out neoplasm is mandatory. Therapeutic surgery is carried out for the relief of pain when there is known symptomatic endometriosis or to provide improved chances of a successful gestation when there is infertility. The use of hormones preoperatively has not been routine but seems to be logical when there is extensive and significant scarring. It would seem appropriate to attempt to preserve childbearing function in those patients who are young and desirous of this. In older patients or those in whom the childbearing is complete, it seems unwise to leave behind diseased tissue that can require a subsequent operation. Conservative surgical treatment for infertility related to endometriosis has about a 40 percent chance of successful pregnancy; such conservative treatment carries a 10 to 12 percent risk of subsequent reoperation. The rate of malignancy in endometriosis is low. Intestinal tract endometriosis is uncommon. Bowel preparation is recommended if bowel surgery is anticipated because of the endometriosis. Urinary tract endometriosis is even more uncommon with the exception of the extrinsic pressure and scarring secondary to extensive pelvic endometriosis. tsurgical treatment seems to be of more value than hormone therapy when other organs are involved.

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Condition tags

endometriosisinfertility

MeSH descriptors

Endometriosis Diagnosis, Differential Diagnosis, Differential Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Estrogens Estrogens Estrogens Female Female Humans Humans Infertility, Female Infertility, Female Infertility, Female Menorrhagia Menorrhagia Menorrhagia

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 ]

Cited by (18)

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