Bowel function and quality of life following surgery for deep endometriosis

Wessel F. W. Scheepers, Jacques W.M. Maas, Majorie M. A. van de Kar, van de Kar MMA
Journal of psychosomatic obstetrics and gynaecology · 2021 · vol. 43(3) , pp. 334–339 · doi:10.1080/0167482x.2021.1952570 · PMID:34309498 · W3185077096
Observational OA: green CC0 ⤵ 13 in-corpus citations
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⚙ AI-generated summary by gemini-2.5-flash-lite, 2026-06-07 ⓘ

This study found that segmental resection for deep endometriosis involving the bowel resulted in lower sexual quality of life than rectal shaving, and both surgical approaches had comparable functional outcomes, though complications and LARS symptoms negatively impacted quality of life.

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Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To assess the influence of surgical approach, complications and patient characteristics and their postoperative functional outcomes on (sexual) quality of life (QoL) in patients with deep endometriosis (DE) with bowel involvement. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study on patients surgically treated for DE in a Dutch tertiary referral hospital. Data are based on surgical records and questionnaires covering current postoperative bowel function and (sexual) QoL. RESULTS: Postoperative functional score outcomes: constipation, fecal incontinence and Low Anterior Resection Syndrome (LARS) did not differ between patients treated with rectal shaving or segmental resection. Thirty percent of women treated with rectal shaving experienced LARS-like symptoms as well. Women who underwent segmental resection had a worse sexual QoL compared to patients managed by shaving. Patients who suffered from complications had a worse postoperative QoL. A higher postoperative constipation score was correlated with a significantly higher pain score and a lower overall and sexual QoL. LARS-score was correlated with a worsened sexual QoL. CONCLUSION: Women who underwent surgery for deep endometriosis rated their overall QoL as lower when a complication occurred. Segmental resection resulted in a lower sexual QoL compared to shaving. We showed that a higher LARS-score correlates with a lower sexual QOL, and postoperative constipation with more pain and a lower overall and sexual QoL. Interestingly, after using the shaving technique one-third of the patients experienced LARS-like symptoms as well.

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Condition tags

endometriosis

MeSH descriptors

Digestive System Surgical Procedures Digestive System Surgical Procedures Digestive System Surgical Procedures Digestive System Surgical Procedures Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Rectal Diseases Rectal Diseases Rectal Diseases Rectal Diseases Rectal Diseases Rectal Neoplasms Rectal Neoplasms Rectal Neoplasms Constipation Constipation Constipation Female Female

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 (14)

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License: CC0 · commercial use OK