Thoracic Endometriosis Syndrome Resembling Pulmonary Embolism

Daniel F. Rychlik, D F Rychlik, Rychlik DF, Bieber EJ, E J Bieber, Eric J. Bieber
The Journal of the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists · 2001 · vol. 8(3) , pp. 445–448 · doi:10.1016/s1074-3804(05)60348-9 · PMID:11509791 · W2153787775
article OA: closed CC0 ⤵ 9 in-corpus citations
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-07 ⓘ

This case report details a patient whose symptoms of thoracic endometriosis mimicked a pulmonary embolism, highlighting the importance of considering endometriosis in women with chest pain and hemoptysis.

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Abstract

A 32-year-old infertility patient with a previous diagnosis of stage IV endometriosis experienced shortness of breath and chest pain. She was diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism by spiral volumetric computed tomography (SVCT) and anticoagulated during hospitalization, although no history of thrombosis was ever identified. She continued to have intermittent symptoms of chest pain, back pain, and shortness of breath for the next 1.5 months. Repeat SVCT revealed a large, right-sided pleural effusion with associated consolidation but no evidence of pulmonary embolism. To obtain a definitive diagnosis, a thoracoscopic pleural biopsy was performed and showed thoracic endometriosis involving the pleura. The patient desired to retain her fertility and opted for treatment with depot medroxyprogesterone. She has been asymptomatic for 2 years with this treatment. This case illustrates the importance of recognizing thoracic endometriosis syndrome and the difficulty diagnosing this condition considering its nonspecific features.

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Condition tags

endometriosisthoracic_endometriosis

MeSH descriptors

Endometriosis Pleural Diseases Pulmonary Embolism Adult Diagnosis, Differential Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Female Humans Pleural Diseases Pleural Diseases Pleural Diseases Pleural Effusion Pleural Effusion Pleural Effusion Pulmonary Embolism Pulmonary Embolism Pulmonary Embolism Thoracoscopy

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 (10)

Cited by (9)

Source provenance

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