Objective: To report the various anatomic locations of surgically and pathologically proven endometriosis.
Methods: Pathologic reports (n=1,376) of women who underwent surgeries at a single center between April 2005 and March 2013 were retrieved from the electronic medical record system of the hospital. Pathologic reports were included after performing a search by using the key-words "endometrial cyst," "endometriotic cyst," "endometriosis," or "endometrioma." Only reports dealing with female patients were selected, and the pathologic reports of 1,350 women (1,374 surgery cases) were included in the analysis.
Results: The predominant location of endometriosis was the ovaries (96.4%), followed by the soft tissue (2.8%), gastrointestinal tract (0.3%) and urinary tract (0.2%). Laparoscopic surgery was the major surgical technique used for the pelvic endometriosis (89.2%). Adrenal gland endometriosis was found in a 55-year-old woman.
Conclusion: We established the various anatomic locations of surgically and pathologically proven endometriosis in Korean women.
Keywords: Anatomic variation; Endometriosis; Gastrointestinal tract; Ovary; Urinary tract.