Efficacy of Ethanol Sclerotherapy Versus Laparoscopic Excision in the Treatment of Ovarian Endometrioma

In: The Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology of India · 2024 · vol. 74(1) , pp. 60–66 · doi:10.1007/s13224-023-01840-1 · PMID:38434126 · W4391042614
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Ethanol sclerotherapy and laparoscopic excision were equally effective in reducing pain and recurrence of ovarian endometriomas, with sclerotherapy showing a less significant decline in AMH levels.

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This retrospective, single-center study (88 women aged 25–38; Jan 2020–Feb 2022) compared recurrence of ovarian endometrioma and symptom outcomes (dysmenorrhea and dyspareunia on visual analog scale) between ethanol sclerotherapy and laparoscopic ovarian cystectomy, with follow-up visits at 2, 6, and 12 months and serial pelvic sonograms for recurrence. It also assessed intervention-related complications and measured anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) before and 6 months after treatment to evaluate ovarian reserve changes. Both approaches reduced dysmenorrhea and dyspareunia over 12 months, with no statistically significant differences in complication rates or endometrioma recurrence, although AMH decline was higher after laparoscopy; AMH levels at 6 months were not significantly different between groups. The authors note limitations consistent with retrospective, single-center design and physician-dependent assignment, and conclude that sclerotherapy may be an alternative, while requiring more studies. This paper is centrally about endometriosis — it directly compares ethanol sclerotherapy versus laparoscopic excision for ovarian endometrioma outcomes and ovarian reserve.

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Abstract

Objective The purpose of this study was to examine the recurrence rates of ovarian endometrioma, dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, and related complications between sclerotherapy and laparoscopic ovarian cystectomy in individuals aged 25 to 38.

Methods

Eighty-eight women participated in this retrospective, single-center study between January 2020 and February 2022. Patients received either laparoscopy or sclerotherapy, depending on the opinion of the pertinent physician. In this study, the following parameters were retrospectively analyzed in follow-up visits 2, 6 and 12 months after sclerotherapy and laparoscopy: dysmenorrhea and dyspareunia by visual analog scale, complications following the intervention, and serial pelvic sonograms for endometrioma cyst recurrence. Moreover, serum Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) level before and 6 months after sclerotherapy/surgery were analyzed. The collected data were then analyzed using R software.

Results

The results demonstrate the efficiency of both sclerotherapy and laparoscopic techniques in reducing endometrioma-related dysmenorrhea and dyspareunia over a 12-month period. There was no statistically significant difference in the occurrence of complications and recurrence rate between these two therapies, and both are equally beneficial. Also, the rate of AMH decline after laparoscopy was higher than sclerotherapy; however there was not a statistically significant change in serum level of AMH in laparoscopy compared to the sclerotherapy after 6 months.

Conclusion

Considering all the data, it appears that sclerotherapy, with its lower cost, shorter hospital stay, and quicker return to activities, can be a laparoscopic alternative to endometrioma cyst removal. More studies are required. Similar content being viewed by others

References

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the staff at Shariati Hospital for their careful clinical work and accurate data gathering regarding the instances described in this study. Funding No specific funding was obtained. Author information Authors and Affiliations Contributions AN developed the idea for the project. The study was designed by AN and AA, and MA, and SM collected data and performed the data analysis and takes full responsibility for the integrity of the data. MJ drafted the manuscript. The final version has been approved by all authors. Corresponding author Ethics declarations Conflict of interest The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest. Consent for Publication Not applicable. Ethics Approval and Consent to Participate The Ethics Committee of Tehran University of Medical Sciences approved this retrospective study, and the ethical approval code was IR.TUMS.MEDICINE.REC.1401.048. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study. Additional information Publisher's Note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Samaneh Mohtashami, MD, Gynecologist; Masoome Jabarpour, Phd, Embryologist; Ashraf Aleyasin, MD, Gynecologist, Infertility Fellowship, Professor; Marzieh Aghahosseini, MD, Gynecologist, Infertility Fellowship, Professor; Ayda Najafian, MD, Gynecologist, Infertility Fellowship, Assistant Professor. Rights and permissions Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law. About this article Cite this article Mohtashami, S., Jabarpour, M., Aleyasin, A. et al. Efficacy of Ethanol Sclerotherapy Versus Laparoscopic Excision in the Treatment of Ovarian Endometrioma. J Obstet Gynecol India 74, 60–66 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13224-023-01840-1 Received: Accepted: Published: Version of record: Issue date: DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13224-023-01840-1

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