Umbilical endometriosis elucidates cause of recurrent pneumothorax

Thoracic Endometriosis: A Review Comparing 480 Patients Based on Catamenial and Noncatamenial Symptoms

OBJECTIVE

This review aimed to categorize thoracic endometriosis syndrome (TES) according to whether the presenting symptoms were catamenial and to evaluate whether such a categorization enables a better management strategy.

DATA SOURCES

An electronic search was conducted using the PubMed/Medline database.

METHODS OF STUDY SELECTION

The following keywords were used in combination with the Boolean operators AND OR: "thoracic endometriosis syndrome," "thoracic endometriosis," "diaphragm endometriosis," and "catamenial pneumothorax."

TABULATION, INTEGRATION, AND RESULTS

The initial search yielded 445 articles. Articles in non-English languages, those whose full texts were unavailable, and those that did not present the symptomatology clearly were further excluded. After these exclusions, the review included 240 articles and 480 patients: 61 patients in the noncatamenial group and 419 patients in the catamenial group. The groups differed significantly in presenting symptoms, surgical treatment techniques, and observed localization of endometriotic loci (p <.05).

CONCLUSION

This review points out the significant differences between patients with TES with catamenial and noncatamenial symptoms. Such categorization and awareness by clinicians of these differences among patients with TES can be helpful in designing a management strategy. When constructing management guidelines, these differences between patients with catamenial and noncatamenial symptoms should be taken into consideration.

Umbilical Nodule with Cyclical Bleeding: A Case Report and Literature Review of Atypical Endometriosis

Endometriosis is defined as the presence of endometrial glands and stroma outside the uterus. It affects 3 to 10 percent of women of reproductive age. Umbilical endometriosis is rare, with an estimated incidence of 0.5–1.0% among all cases of endometriosis, and is usually secondary to prior laparoscopic surgery involving the umbilicus. In this report, we described a case of umbilical endometriosis treated with surgical resection and highlight the great importance of medical history compared to complementary diagnostic tests that can be sometimes inconclusive.

An unusual case of asymptomatic spontaneous umbilical endometriosis treated with skin-sparing excision

Spontaneous umbilical endometriosis is a rare extrapelvic manifestation of endometriosis. Very few such cases have been previously reported, almost always associated with a variety of symptoms, usually during menstruation. We present a case of asymptomatic umbilical endometriosis treated with skin-sparing excision. Differential diagnoses relevant to the clinician, as well as treatment options, are also presented. Surgeons should always consider umbilical endometriosis in their diagnostic approach when confronted with atypical umbilical nodules, regardless of whether they are symptomatic or not.