Endometriosis in abdominal scars: a diagnostic pitfall.

Yehuda G. Wolf, Y Wolf, Riad Haddad, R Haddad, N Werbin, Nahum Werbin, Yehuda Skornick, Y Skornick, Ofer Kaplan, O Kaplan
The American surgeon · 1996 · vol. 62(12) , pp. 1042–4 · PMID:8955245 · W72558661
article OA: closed CC0 ⤵ 83 in-corpus citations
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-07 ⓘ

This case series describes four patients with endometriosis in cesarean section scars, highlighting it as a diagnostic pitfall that can mimic ventral hernias and other abdominal wall masses, with diagnosis confirmed by histology post-surgery.

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Abstract

Endometriosis is ectopic endometrial tissue that responds to hormonal stimulation and is found in 8 to 15 per cent of all menstruating women. Endometrioma in a surgical scar is rare and appears in 0.1 per cent of women who have undergone cesarean section; 25 per cent of these women have concomitant pelvic endometriosis. Endometrioma in a scar can present as a painful swelling on the scar that worsens during cough and effort, with the patient's complaints resembling those of a postoperative hernia occurring in a scar. It can also mimic other lesions of the abdominal wall, such as hematomas, granulomas, abscesses, and tumors. Four cases of endometriomas in a cesarean section scar are described. Two were diagnosed preoperatively as postoperative ventral hernias, and the other two presented with an abdominal wall mass causing pain and discomfort. All patients underwent surgery, and the error of their preoperative diagnosis was revealed by histology, which confirmed endometrioma. We contend that endometrioma in scarring is a diagnostic pitfall that should be considered in the differential diagnosis of postoperative ventral hernias and various abdominal wall masses.

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Condition tags

mesh:D004715endometriosisendometrioma

MeSH descriptors

Abdominal Muscles Cicatrix Endometriosis Endometriosis Adult Cesarean Section Cesarean Section Cicatrix Endometriosis Endometriosis Female Humans Pregnancy

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.

Cited by (50)

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