Multicentre retrospective study to assess diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound for superficial endometriosis – are we any closer?

None listed

Clinical histories of 83 patients who had laparoscopy to investigate pelvic pain were reviewed. Laparoscopies were performed at Mercy Hospital for Women, Epworth Freemasons by surgeons trained in advanced laparoscopy and currently work in a tertiary endometriosis surgical unit. Patients with deep infiltrative endometriosis or non- endometriosis pelvic pathology on either MRI or ultrasound were excluded from the study. Ultrasounds were performed by a single sonologist with expertise in endometriosis assessments between 2012 – 2015. The ultrasound findings were dividing into sub groups as follows – presence of a utero sacral ligament nodule of endometriosis, utero sacral ligament thickness, thickened peri colic fat, ovarian mobility and focal tenderness. This was compared with operative findings of those patients with superficial endometriosis. Other parameters collected were age, BMI and symptoms –dysmenorrhoea, dyschezia, dysuria and dyspareunia. Standard diagnostic and agreement statistics were calculated to assess the predictive effects of individual ultrasound markers and symptoms on operation findings. Endometriosis is a complex and heterogeneous condition. There is an increased incidence in women with pelvic pain and subfertility. Appropriate early triage for these patients has been shown to improve outcomes. There are no specific non-invasive methods of diagnosing superficial forms of endometriosis, whilst the ability to reliably detect deep infiltrative endometriosis on ultrasound is well established.

No related papers found yet.