Ultrasound-guided excision of rectus abdominis muscle endometriosis

Rectus Abdominis Endometriosis Following Cesarean Section: A Case Report

Endometriosis involves the growth of endometrial-like tissue outside the uterine cavity, with its manifestation in the rectus abdominis muscle being exceptionally rare and primarily observed in women with a history of abdominal surgeries. In this report, we present the case of a 42-year-old female with a medical history of two cesarean sections who presented with cyclical abdominal pain and a palpable mass in the right lower quadrant. An MRI scan of the pelvis revealed a lesion on the right lower quadrant of the abdominal wall, proximate to the previous Pfannenstiel incision. A percutaneous US-guided biopsy of the abdominal lesion was performed, and histopathology demonstrated the presence of endometrial glands and stroma, confirming the diagnosis of rectus abdominis endometriosis. She was submitted to a local wide excision with adequate margins of normal surrounding tissue and has remained free of recurrence for two years.

Intraoperative Three-Dimensional Transvaginal Ultrasound for Hysteroscopic Metroplasty: a Controlled Study

This study aims to evaluate the role of intraoperative transvaginal three-dimensional ultrasound (3DUS) during hysteroscopic metroplasty. This is a prospective cohort of consecutive patients with septate uterus undergoing hysteroscopic metroplasty with intraoperative transvaginal 3DUS guidance compared to a historical control group of patients undergoing hysteroscopic metroplasty without 3DUS. We conducted our research in a tertiary care university hospital in Rome, Italy. This study involved nineteen patients undergoing 3DUS-guided hysteroscopic metroplasty for recurrent abortion or infertility compared to 19 age-matched controls undergoing metroplasty without 3DUS guidance. During hysteroscopic metroplasty, 3DUS was performed in the study group when the operator considered the procedure to be completed, according to standards of operative hysteroscopy. If 3DUS diagnosed a residual septum, the procedure was continued until a 3DUS diagnosis of a normal fundus was obtained. The patients were followed with a 3DUS performed 3 months after the procedure. The numbers of complete resections (residual septum absent), suboptimal resections (measurable residual septum of less than 10 mm), and incomplete resections (residual septum > 10 mm) in the intraoperative 3DUS group were compared to the numbers in the control group with no intraoperative 3DUS. At follow-up, measurable residual septa were obtained in 0% of the patients in the 3DUS-guided group versus 26% in the control group (p = 0.04). Residual septa of > 10 mm were obtained in 0% of the 3DUS group versus 10.5% in the control group (p = 0.48). Intraoperative 3DUS reduces the incidence of suboptimal septal resections at hysteroscopic metroplasty.

Is dienogest a convenient treatment option for cesarean scar endometriosis or should it be treated surgically?

OBJECTIVES

Endometriosis-related conditions such as subcutaneous endometriosis have been frequently seen in recent years, and dienogest or surgical excision is generally preferred as a treatment option. Our aim in this study is to determine which treatment option will be more effective in reducing the symptoms of patients with cesarean scar endometriosis. Study design This prospective study was performed with 21 patients diagnosed with cesarean scar endometriosis. The demographic features of the patients, lesion sizes before and after medical and surgical treatment, VAS scores and Ca-125 levels were recorded. VAS scores and lesion sizes were compared before-after medical treatment and before-after surgery in same group.

RESULTS

A total of 18 women were identified, with a mean age of 32.3 ± 5.7 years. No significant decrease in lesion size was observed in the 1st and 6th-month controls after the use of dienogest (p > 0,05), while a significant decrease in VAS scores was detected (p < 0,05). After surgery, the decrease in both lesion size and VAS scores was found statistically significant (p < 0,05).

CONCLUSION

Dienogest, which is frequently used in the medical treatment of pelvic and ovarian endometriosis, reduces pain minimally in cesarean scar endometriosis but does not provide a change in lesion size. Therefore, surgical treatment of cesarean scar endometriosis seems to be more effective in reducing pain and decreasing the size of the lesions.

Endometriosis of the skeletal muscular system (ESMS): a systematic review

BACKGROUND

Extrapelvic endometriosis occurring at skeletal muscle and joint sites is not rare and is prone to delayed diagnosis and inappropriate treatment. Herein, endometriosis of the skeletal muscular system (ESMS) is systematically reviewed to facilitate early diagnosis and treatment.

METHODS

Literature on ESMS published before March 2022 was retrieved from the Ovid Medline and Web of Science databases, and the major clinical data were extracted for descriptive analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 62 studies (78 ESMS cases) met these requirements. The ESMS included the abdominal muscles (50.7%), pelvic floor muscles (11.6%), lower limb muscles (11.6%), hip muscles (8.7%), lumbar muscles (7.2%), joints (5.8%), upper limb muscles (2.9%), and shoulder-neck muscles (1.4%). The age was 34.0 ± 7.2 years (range 17-49 years). Approximately 63.8% of patients had at least one previous pelvic surgery, and 76.8% of local symptoms were related to the menstrual cycle. The course of disease was 29.6 ± 25.4 months (range 0.5-96 months). Only 30.3% of the patients sought initial medical advice from gynecologists, while 69.7% sought initial medical advice from a nongynecological physician. Twenty-seven patients underwent fine-needle aspiration (FNA) under ultrasound or CT monitoring, and only 44.4% (12/27) were confirmed to have endometriosis by FNA tissue pathology. Approximately 47.4% (37/78) of the patients had a normal pelvic cavity appearance. Surgical resection was performed in 92.3% (72/78) of the patients, of whom 88.9% (64/72) underwent complete resection of the lesion (negative surgical margin) and 20.8% (15/72) received postoperative hormone therapy. At 16.7 months of follow-up, 83.3%, 13.8%, 2.9%, and four patients had complete response, partial response, recurrence, and permanent function impairment, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Endometriosis can occur at almost any site in the musculoskeletal system. For women of reproductive age with catamenial pain or a mass in the musculoskeletal system, endometriosis should be suspected. Fine-needle aspiration can easily lead to missed diagnoses. Surgical resection for negative margins is the main treatment, and permanent impairment of function may occur in a few patients due to delayed diagnosis. Vascular lymphatic metastasis is the most likely mechanism of pathogenesis.

Clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of extragenital endometriosis in Japan, 2018

The aim of this publication is to disseminate the clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of intestinal, bladder/ureteral, thoracic and umbilical endometriosis, already published in Japanese, to non-Japanese speakers. For developing the original Japanese guidelines, the clinical practice guideline committee was formed by the research team for extragenital endometriosis, which is part of the research program of intractable disease of the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. The clinical practice guideline committee formulated eight clinical questions for the treatment of extragenital endometriosis, which were intestinal, bladder/ureteral, thoracic and umbilical endometriosis. The committee performed a systematic review of the literature to provide responses to clinical questions and developed clinical guidelines for extragenital endometriosis, according to the process proposed by the Medical Information Network Distribution Service. The recommendation level was determined using modified Delphi methods. The clinical practice guidelines were officially approved by the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Japan Society of Endometriosis. This English version was translated from the Japanese version.

Mullerian tissue in the rectus abdominis muscle forming an endometrioma: a case report

Endometriosis is defined as the presence of endometrial tissue at the sites other than the uterine lining and responds to the cyclical ovarian hormonal activity. It is a multidimensional and a complex disease which has an impact on physical, mental, sexual, and social aspects of the life of a woman. Here is a case report of a patient, presented to the department with pain and swelling in her left side of the previous cesarean scar. It was surgically removed and was diagnosed to be an endometrioma of rectus sheath and rectus abdominis muscle on histopathology.

Clinical analysis of high-intensity focussed ultrasound ablation for abdominal wall endometriosis: a 4-year experience at a specialty gynecological institution

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the long-term clinical effect of high-intensity focussed ultrasound (HIFU) as a non-invasive modality for ablation of abdominal wall endometriosis (AWE) foci.

METHODS

All women who were diagnosed with cutaneous endometriosis and underwent HIFU ablation and 4-year follow-up were included. Patient symptoms, imaging performed, HIFU ablation, recurrence, lesion location, size and number were collected and analyzed.

RESULTS

A total of 51 women with 57 painful abdominal wall masses with a median volume of 4.00 cm³ and a mean age of 30.5±2.12 years were treated with HIFU. The main symptoms were a palpable painful abdominal mass (93%), protrusion of the skin (28.1%, 16) or lack of protrusion of the skin (71.9%, 41). Ultrasound was initially performed in 100% (51) of women, whereas 6% (3) required MRI examinations to distinguish the features and range of the masses. Ablation was performed with a median 300 s of sonication time, 40 min treatment time, 150 W of power and 41800 J of total energy to treat lesions that were a median volume of 3.83 cm³. No severe complications occurred, except in one patient with a first-degree skin burn, during the 48-month follow-up period. The pooled recurrence of cutaneous endometriosis occurred in 3.9% (2) of women.

CONCLUSION

The diagnosis of AWE should be confirmed with imaging of the lesion number, location, size and features before HIFU ablation. HIFU should be the first choice for the treatment of AWE as it is a non-invasive method, with high efficiency and safety and rapid postoperative recovery.

Cutaneous endometriosis: Presentation of 33 cases and literature review

OBJECTIVE

Cutaneous endometriosis is a rare condition that usually affects the abdominal wall in women with a history of open abdominal surgery. It has a characteristic clinical picture of a mass and pain associated with menstruation. The diagnosis is difficult on being an uncommon and little known condition. Once there is suspicion, a correct anamnesis and examination is usually sufficient. The treatment is normally surgery.

STUDY DESIGN

The study included all women identified with a diagnosis of cutaneous endometriosis over a period of 20 years. The variables collected and analysed included, age, surgical history, gynaecology history, symptoms, time period between surgery and consultation, specialist consulted, location, size, tests performed, treatment, and recurrence.

RESULTS

A total of 33 women were identified, with a mean age of 35.4 ± 2.33 years. A surgical history was found in 31 (93%) of 33 women. The main symptom was abdominal mass (96%), followed by period pain (51%), and non-period pain (42%). The initial diagnosis was correct in 15 (45%) of 33 women, and after performing further tests it was correct in 23 (69%) of 33 women. The main additional test was fine needle aspiration (FNA) in 24 (72%) of 33 patients. Surgery was performed on 30 (90%) of 33 women, with 8 (24%) women requiring a prosthesis. There was a recurrence of cutaneous endometriosis in 3 (9%) women.

CONCLUSION

Although it is a rare disease, its association with gynaecological surgery, and in particular caesarean section, means that there should be more awareness of this condition. Its diagnosis may be complicated due to lack of knowledge, when a proper examination and anamnesis can give us the key.