Neurological deficits, back pain tied to endometriosis

Endometriosis usually is suspected early in the differential diagnosis of moderate to severe pelvic area pain in premenopausal women. But it also should be considered as a possible cause of low-back and lower-extremity pain as well as of certain neurological deficits, according to physicians at the University of California, Davis, Medical Center. "Few physicians are aware of this association, and prolonged delays in diagnosis and treatment are common in these patients," says James S. Lieberman, MD, professor of neurology and chair of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Davis. Lieberman presented findings in three such cases at the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation meeting in Houston. Right foot drop developed in a 28-year-old patient prior to menses each month and remitted 48 hours afterward. At the same time, the patient had decreased sensation to pinprick in the area of the sciatic nerve. At midcycle, however, she