Determinants of short term recurrence rate of endometriosis.
OBJECTIVE
To analyse the frequency and the determinants of recurrence rate of clinically detectable endometriosis.


METHODS
Prospective cohort multicenter study. Eligible for the study were all women observed for the first time during the period January-June 1998 at the participating centres with a laparoscopically confirmed first diagnosis of endometriosis. After diagnosis, patients were treated according to standard care of each centre and desire for pregnancy. The protocol required all women to be followed up at the centre each year for 2 years with a clinical examination, an ultrasound pelvic examination and a CA125 assay, unless pregnancy occurred. Second look laparoscopy was performed on a clinical basis.


RESULTS
A total of 311 women (median age 36 years) entered the study. The two-year recurrence rate was 5.7% among cases stage I-II and 14.4% among stage III-IV (chi(1)2 adjusted for indication for surgery, p < 0.05). The recurrence rates tended to increase with age, being 4.6% among women aged 20-30 and 13.1% among women aged >30, but this finding was not statistically significant.


CONCLUSIONS
The recurrence rate of clinically detectable endometriosis tends to be higher in older women with advanced stages of the disease and lower in women with infertility.
Parazzini
Fabio
F
1 Clinica Ostetrico Ginecologica, Università di Milano, 20122 Milano, Italy. parazzini@marionegri.it
Bertulessi
Carlo
C
Pasini
Andrea
A
Rosati
Maurizio
M
Di Stefano
Fabio
F
Shonauer
Sergio
S
Vicino
Mario
M
Aguzzoli
Lorenzo
L
Trossarelli
Gian Franco
GF
Massobrio
Mario
M
Bracco
Gianluca
G
Perino
Antonio
A
Moroni
Simona
S
Beretta
Paolo
P
D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004715:Endometriosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012008:Recurrence