Laparoscopic evaluation of infertile patients with chronic pelvic pain.
In this study over a 10-year period, 1584 patients complaining of infertility of more than 1 year duration were evaluated for their laparoscopic findings in relation to the presence or not of chronic pelvic pain (CPP). Infertility was the only complaint in 1215 cases (group 1), whereas 369 patients complained of infertility and CPP (group 2). All cases underwent routine infertility investigation and pelvic ultrasonography, followed by diagnostic laparoscopy, with infertility-only cases acting as a control group. At laparoscopy 76.7% of patients with CPP were found with pelvic pathology, compared with only 42.6% of cases without CPP (P < or = 0.0001). Omental-abdominal wall adhesions, advanced endometriosis, endometriomas with adhesions, pelvic venous congestion, and hydrosalpinges with pelvic adhesions were significantly more frequent in cases with CPP. Dysmenorrhoea was the most frequent type of CPP. Cases with CPP and a negative laparoscopy were further investigated using a multidisciplinary approach. In conclusion, chronic pelvic pain can be the result of several pelvic pathologies. Infertile patients with CPP are much more frequently found with an abnormal pelvis in comparison with cases without CPP. Laparoscopy is an invaluable diagnostic tool especially for symptomatic patients and should be used early in their diagnostic infertility work-up.
1st Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Athens, Alexandra Hospital, Athens, Greece.
Spyros
S
Milingos
Athanasios
A
Protopapas
George
G
Kallipolitis
Petros
P
Drakakis
Antonios
A
Makrigiannakis
Anthi
A
Liapi
Dimitrios
D
Milingos
Aris
A
Antsaklis
Stylianos
S
Michalas
D000328:Adult; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010535:Laparoscopy; D017699:Pelvic Pain / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010388:Pelvis / Q000473:pathology; D014463:Ultrasonography