THORACIC ENDOMETRIOSIS SYNDROME, NOT SO RARE; REPORT OF 3 CASES

Endometriosis is presence of functional endometrial glands and stroma outside the uterine cavity. It is usually confined to the pelvis, and therefore thoracic endometriosis syndrome (TES) is regarded as a rare disorder characterized by the presence of functioning endometrial tissue in the pleura, the lung parenchyma and/or the airways. TES may therefore present with catamenial hemoptysis, due to the shedding of endometrial tissue in the bronchial tree, or catamenial pneumothorax or hemothorax if the endometrial tissue is localized peripherally. We report our three consecutive patients diagnosed as TES in the first three years of our new cardiothoracic surgery unit. All three patients ’ diagnosis was established clinically based on cyclicity of symptoms with temporal relationship with menstrual period in appropriate patients. Patient 1 had left catamenial pneumothorax, patient 2 had right catamenial hemo-pneumothorax and left catamenial hemothorax, while patient 3 had right catamenial hemothorax. Pleural aspirates for cytology and percutaneous pleural biopsies failed to establish the histologic diagnosis. Treatment consisted of closed tube