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The ASCRS Textbook of Colon and Rectal Surgery pp 421–434Cite as

Endometriosis

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Abstract

Endometriosis is a disease characterized by the presence of endometrial glands and stroma outside the uterine cavity. It is one of the most common conditions requiring surgery for women during their reproductive years. Endometriosis, while not fatal, may be associated with disabling pain and intractable infertility. The degree of symptoms varies widely and does not always correspond to the extent of pathology encountered at surgery. Small lesions may cause severe pain and infertility, while larger lesions may be asymptomatic and be found only incidentally during surgery for other diagnoses. Diagnosis is typically made or confirmed at laparoscopy or during laparotomy. Colon and rectal surgeons often become involved in the management of patients with intestinal endometriosis. This involvement may occur as a result of a combined procedure with a gynecologist or in the management of an endometrioma masquerading as a neoplastic or inflammatory lesion. Treatment for endometriosis is usually multimodal and may require surgery in those patients with infertility, pelvic pain, obstruction, or a poor response to hormonal suppression. While advances in diagnostic tests and therapy have been made, endometriosis remains a frustrating and incompletely understood disease for both the patient and her physicians.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA

    Michael J. Snyder MD

  2. Department of Colon and Rectal Surgery, Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, USA

    Michael J. Snyder MD

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  1. Michael J. Snyder MD
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Colon and Rectal Surgery, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

    David E. Beck MD, FACS, FASCRS

  2. Department of Colorectal Surgery, Lahey Clinic, Tufts University School of Medicine, Burlington, Massachusetts, USA

    Patricia L. Roberts MD, FACS, FASCRS

  3. Section of Colon and Rectal Surgery, Rush Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA

    Theodore J. Saclarides MD, FACS, FASCRS

  4. Department of Surgery, Spectrum Health, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA

    Anthony J. Senagore MD, FACS, FASCRS

  5. Department of Surgery, UCI Medical Center, Orange, California, USA

    Michael J. Stamos MD, FACS, FASCRS

  6. Department of Colorectal Surgery, Cleveland Clinic Florida, Weston, Florida, USA

    Steven D. Wexner MD, FACS, FASCRS, FRCS, FRCS(Ed)

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© 2011 ASCRS (American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons)

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Snyder, M.J. (2011). Endometriosis. In: Beck, D.E., Roberts, P.L., Saclarides, T.J., Senagore, A.J., Stamos, M.J., Wexner, S.D. (eds) The ASCRS Textbook of Colon and Rectal Surgery. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1584-9_25

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1584-9_25

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