title: Presentation and management of perineal endometriosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze the clinical presentation of perineal endometriosis and evaluate its treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Clinical data were analyzed from the records of 36 patients with perineal endometriosis who were operated on between 1983 and 2007 at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, and followed up for 0.5 to 14 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The incidence of perineal endometriosis was 0.31% among the women with endometriosis treated surgically at the hospital. The latent period was between 4 months and 13 years. All patients had cyclical and painful lesions. Of the 36 patients, 5 (13.9%) also suffered from pelvic endometriosis. All patients without anal sphincter involvement were cured after complete surgical excision. In 7 patients who had anal sphincter involvement, disease recurred because of incomplete excision.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Perineal endometriosis can be diagnosed on the basis of clinical features and surgical excision is the treatment of choice. The recurrence rate of perineal endometriosis is related to sphincter involvement making preoperative evaluation of anal sphincter important.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, China. Zhu_Julie@sina.com
authors.forename: Lan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Jinghe
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lang
authors.forename: Hanbi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Zhufeng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Dawei
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Jinhua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Leng
authors.forename: Huimei
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Quancai
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: Felix
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wong