Prevalence of endometriosis in adolescent girls with chronic pelvic pain not responding to conventional therapy

Laufer MR, M R Laufer, Marc R. Laufer, L Goitein, Goitein L, Lara Goitein, Bush M, M Bush, Michael A. Bush, Cramer DW, D. W. Cramer, Daniel W. Cramer, S. Jean Emans, S J Emans
Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology · 1997 · vol. 10(4) , pp. 199–202 · doi:10.1016/s1083-3188(97)70085-8 · PMID:9391902 · W2041440843
Observational OA: closed CC0 ⤵ 231 in-corpus citations
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This study investigated the prevalence of endometriosis in adolescent girls experiencing chronic pelvic pain that did not improve with standard treatments.

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Abstract

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To evaluate adolescent girls with chronic pelvic pain not responding to conventional medical therapy, using advances in operative laparoscopy to determine endometriosis prevalence, clinical stage, and type of lesion. DESIGN: A descriptive retrospective study of subjects who (1) were referred for the evaluation of chronic pelvic pain, (2) did not respond to a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug and an oral contraceptive pill, and (3) underwent a laparoscopy to determine the etiology of the pelvic pain. SETTING: Patients referred to a surgical gynecologist in a pediatric/adolescent gynecology and reproductive endocrine academic practice. PARTICIPANTS: All patients younger than 22 years of age with chronic pelvic pain. INTERVENTION: Operative laparoscopy to determine the etiology of the chronic pelvic pain. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Operative laparoscopy results including stage and description of endometriosis. RESULTS: More than two thirds of the study population (69.6%) was found to have endometriosis. All subjects had either stage I or II as determined by the American Fertility Society's classification system. The nature of the pain in the 32 subjects with endometriosis was both acyclic and cyclic in 20 (62.5%), acyclic only in 9 (28.1%), and cyclic only in 3 (9.4%). Other presenting symptoms included gastrointestinal in 11 (34.3%), urinary in 4 (12.5%), and irregular menses in 3 (9.4%). CONCLUSIONS: Adolescents with chronic pelvic pain not responding to medical therapy have a high rate of endometriosis and should be referred to a gynecologist who is experienced with the subtle laparoscopic findings of atypical endometriosis to diagnose the etiology of the pelvic pain and initiate appropriate therapy.

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Condition tags

endometriosischronic_pelvic_pain

MeSH descriptors

Endometriosis Pelvic Pain Pelvic Pain Adolescent Adolescent Adult Adult Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal Contraceptives, Oral Contraceptives, Oral Contraceptives, Oral Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Female Female Humans Humans

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 ]

References (22)

Cited by (50)

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