Surgery for deep endometriosis without involvement of digestive or urinary tracts: do not worry the patients!

Abstract

Objective: To report postoperative outcomes after surgery for deep endometriosis without involvement of the digestive or urinary tracts.

Design: Retrospective study using data prospectively recorded in the North-West Inter Regional Female Cohort for Patients with Endometriosis (CIRENDO) database.

Setting: University tertiary referral center.

Patient(s): One hundred thirty consecutive patients whose follow-up ranged from 1 to 6 years.

Intervention(s): Laparoscopic excision of deep endometriosis nodules.

Main outcome measure(s): Postoperative complications were recorded in the CIRENDO database and medical charts. Postoperative digestive function was assessed using standardized gastrointestinal questionnaires: the Gastrointestinal Quality of Life Index and the Knowles-Eccersley-Scott Symptom Questionnaire.

Result(s): Deep endometriosis nodules involved uterosacral ligaments, rectovaginal space, and vagina and spared the bowel, the bladder, and the ureters. Nodule size was <1 cm, 1-3 cm, and >3 cm in diameter in 20.8%, 64.6%, and 14.6% of cases, respectively. Clavien-Dindo 1, 2, and 3b complications occurred in 0.8%, 4.6%, and 5.4% of cases, respectively. Among Clavien-Dindo 3b complications, most involved pelvic hematoma. Gastrointestinal scores revealed significant improvement in digestive function or defecation pain at 1 and 3 years after surgery. The pregnancy rate was, respectively, 43.3% and 56.7% at 1 and 3 years postoperatively, among which 66.7% and 64.7% were spontaneous conceptions.

Conclusion(s): Our data suggest that surgery for deep endometriosis without involvement of the digestive or urinary tracts provides a low rate of postoperative complications and satisfactory fertility outcomes.

Keywords: Deep endometriosis; digestive function; fertility; pain; postoperative complications; pregnancy.