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, although 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 whereas larger lesions may be asymptomatic and 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 management of an endometrioma masquerading as a neoplastic or inflammatory lesion. Treatment for endometriosis is usually multimodal and may include an operation in those patients with infertility, pelvic pain, obstruction, or a poor response to hormonal suppression. Although advances in diagnostic tests and therapy have been made, endometriosis remains a frustrating and incompletely understood disease for both patients and physicians.
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Snyder, M.J., Stryker, S.J. (2007). Endometriosis. In: Wolff, B.G., et al. The ASCRS Textbook of Colon and Rectal Surgery. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-36374-5_21
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-36374-5_21
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