Isolated endometriosis on the rectus abdominis muscle in women without a history of abdominal surgery: a rare and intriguing finding

Roberta Granese, Granese R, Gaspare Cucinella, Valeria Barresi, Giuseppe Navarra, Massimo Candiani, Onofrio Triolo, Triolo O
Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology · 2009 · vol. 16(6) , pp. 798–801 · doi:10.1016/j.jmig.2009.08.005 · PMID:19896616 · W2130196013
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This paper describes a rare case of endometriosis occurring solely on the rectus abdominis muscle in women without prior abdominal surgery, highlighting an unusual presentation of the condition.

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Abstract

We report 2 rare cases of endometriosis on the rectus abdominal muscle diagnosed incidentally during an operation for inguinal hernia repair in women with no surgical history. Two women sought medical attention for a mass found in the pubic abdominal wall. Only 1 woman reported occasional pain. At physical examination in both women, an ovoid swelling in the right pubic area was felt. One woman experienced pain on palpation, and one reported slight discomfort. Ultrasonography demonstrated a heterogeneous hypoechogenic formation with indistinct edges; diagnosis was difficult. Routine clinical and instrumental (pelvic ultrasonography) gynecologic examination in both patients performed shortly before hospitalization had not revealed any macroscopic focus of endometriosis in the pelvic region. At surgery, a lesion consistent with the diagnosis of endometriosis was found, which was confirmed at histologic analysis. These cases could represent the consolidation of different theories of endometriosis diffusion. We suggest including endometriosis in the differential diagnosis of a symptomatic mass in the abdominal wall in women with and without a surgical history.

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Condition tags

endometriosis

MeSH descriptors

Diagnostic Errors Diagnostic Errors Endometriosis Endometriosis Hernia, Inguinal Rectus Abdominis Rectus Abdominis Adult Adult Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Female Female Hernia, Inguinal Hernia, Inguinal Humans Humans Incidental Findings Incidental Findings

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 (27)

Cited by (18)

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