The impact of treatment on the natural history of endometriosis

Tahir A. Mahmood, T A Mahmood, Allan Templeton, A Templeton
Human Reproduction · 1990 · vol. 5(8) , pp. 965–970 · doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.humrep.a137229 · PMID:2081808 · W1929493126
article OA: bronze CC0 ⤵ 78 in-corpus citations
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This study assessed 50 infertile women with endometriosis, finding that danazol, diathermy ablation, and surgery with danazol improved disease in 53-80% of patients compared to 27% spontaneous improvement without treatment.

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Abstract

A group of 50 infertile female patients was assessed laparoscopically to study the natural history of endometriosis. They were treated either with danazol (n = 21), or diathermy ablation (n = 13) or had conservative surgery with postoperative danazol (n = 5) or were left untreated (n = 11). All these patients had second look laparoscopy performed after a mean interval of 12 months (range 9-18 months). Improvement was noted among 53% of those treated with danazol, 70% treated with diathermy, 80% treated with surgery and danazol and 27% of those left untreated. The status of endometriosis remained unchanged among 14% of those treated with danazol, 8% treated by diathermy and 9% of those left untreated. However, the disease became worse in the remaining women, 33% in the danazol treated group, 22% treated by diathermy, 20% treated with surgery and danazol and 64% of those left untreated. Thus treatment hinders progression in a majority of patients, and conversely, there is a small but definite spontaneous regression rate.

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Condition tags

mesh:D004715endometriosis

MeSH descriptors

Endometriosis Adult Combined Modality Therapy Danazol Danazol Danazol Diathermy Diathermy Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Fallopian Tube Diseases Fallopian Tube Diseases Female Humans Infertility, Female Infertility, Female Ovarian Diseases Ovarian Diseases Tissue Adhesions

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.

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