title: Surgical treatment of symptomatic rectosigmoid endometriosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the results of surgical treatment of symptomatic intestinal endometriosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective study.
  
  
  METHODS
  University hospital, The Netherlands.
  
  
  METHODS
  14 patients in whom medical treatment had failed.
  
  
  METHODS
  Hysterectomy (n = 5), salpingo-oophorectomy (n = 8, bilateral in 5), posterior vaginal wall excision (n = 14), and partial resection (n = 6) or anterior wedge excision (n = 8) of the rectum.
  
  
  METHODS
  Blood loss, operating time, morbidity, and relief of symptoms.
  
  
  RESULTS
  9 patients became symptom free (64%), 5 of whom developed postmenopausal symptoms later on. 2 had unrelated vague abdominal symptoms and 3 more could not be assessed because they underwent in vitro fertilisation and developed stimulation-related abdominal symptoms. All were content with the operative results.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Operations for rectosigmoid endometriosis are technically difficult with a long operating time and considerable blood loss, but they are successful in relieving symptoms when conservative treatment has failed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University Hospital Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: K T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Tran
authors.forename: H C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Kuijpers
authors.forename: W N
authors.initials: WN
authors.lastname: Willemsen
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bulten
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016063:Blood Loss, Surgical; D004715:Endometriosis / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007044:Hysterectomy; D010052:Ovariectomy; D012002:Rectal Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012489:Salpingostomy; D012810:Sigmoid Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome