Diagnosis and treatment of rectovaginal endometriosis: an overview

Christina Kruse, Kruse C, Mikkel Seyer-Hansen, Mikkel Seyer‐Hansen, Seyer-Hansen M, Axel Forman
Acta obstetricia et gynecologica Scandinavica · 2012 · vol. 91(6) , pp. 648–657 · doi:10.1111/j.1600-0412.2012.01367.x · PMID:22268648 · W1946293703
review OA: closed CC0 ⤵ 18 in-corpus citations
View on OpenAlex View on PubMed View at publisher
⚙ AI-generated summary by gemini-2.5-flash-lite, 2026-06-12 ⓘ

This review details diagnostic imaging, medical therapies, and surgical approaches for rectovaginal endometriosis, emphasizing local excision for superficial infiltration and segmental resection for deep rectal involvement.

One-sentence paraphrase of the abstract; not a substitute for reading it. No clinical advice. How this works

Abstract

Rectovaginal endometriosis can be a cause of severe pain, dyspareunia and intestinal problems. A thorough examination is needed and should include diagnostic imaging, such as transvaginal or transrectal ultrasound or magnetic resonance imaging. Medical therapies, such as oral contraceptives, progestins and levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine devices, all seem to reduce pain and should always be considered. Surgical treatment is challenging and implies a risk of severe complications. It is preferable to treat endometriotic lesions with superficial infiltration into the rectal wall by local laparoscopic excision, while segmental rectal resection is needed in the case of severe intestinal infiltration. This review describes available diagnostic tools, the possibilities for medical treatment and the alternative surgical approaches.

My notes (saved in your browser only)

Condition tags

dysmenorrheadyspareuniaendometriosischronic_pelvic_painbowel_endometriosis

MeSH descriptors

Endometriosis Endometriosis Rectal Diseases Rectal Diseases Vaginal Diseases Vaginal Diseases Administration, Intravaginal Aromatase Inhibitors Aromatase Inhibitors Barium Sulfate Colon Colon Constipation Constipation Constipation Contraceptive Agents, Female Contraceptive Agents, Female Contraceptives, Oral, Hormonal Contraceptives, Oral, Hormonal Contrast Media

Citation neighborhood

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. [ expand to 2 hops ] — adds papers reached through this work's immediate citers/citees. Heavier; up to 60 extra dots.

References (100)

Cited by (18)

Source provenance

europepmc
last seen: 2026-09-07T06:12:11.729357+00:00
openalex
last seen: 2026-06-10T17:14:06.276822+00:00
pubmed
last seen: 2026-05-13T22:16:23.388809+00:00
unpaywall
last seen: 2026-09-07T06:27:18.705824+00:00
License: CC0 · commercial use OK