title: Thoracic endometriosis syndrome.
abstract: Endometriosis is defined as the presence of endometrial glands and stroma outside the uterine cavity and is usually confined to the pelvis. Thoracic endometriosis syndrome (TES) is a rare disorder characterized by the presence of functioning endometrial tissue in the pleura, the lung parenchyma and the airways. TES may present with hemoptysis, due to the shedding of endometrial tissue in the bronchial tree, or spontaneous pneumothorax or hemothorax if the endometrial tissue is localized peripherally. Patients are of reproductive age, often nulliparous, with long-standing symptoms. The crucial issue for establishing the diagnosis is the cyclicity of the symptoms which occur along with the menstrual cycle. TES is virtually a diagnosis of exclusion, established on clinical grounds, since neither CT nor endoscopy are specific for TES. Treatment consists of gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues, aiming to suppress the hypophyseal-gonadal axis, so as to ensure a regression of the endometrial implants. If medical treatment fails, surgical resection of the endometriomas is suggested, although relapse rate may be high.
authors.affiliation: 2nd Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Athens, Aretaieion Hospital, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Areti
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Augoulea
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Lambrinoudaki
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Christodoulakos
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004715:Endometriosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D004965:Estrogen Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D015994:Incidence; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D035583:Rare Diseases; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013896:Thoracic Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D013908:Thoracotomy / Q000379:methods; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D004965:Estrogen Antagonists