Abdominal wall endometrioma; a 10-year experience and brief review of the literature.
BACKGROUND
Abdominal wall endometrioma is a rare condition, which usually develops in a surgical scar of Cesarean section or hysterectomy. Certain factors relating to knowledge of the clinical pattern of this disease make correct diagnosis and treatment difficult. The aim was to identify the different forms of presentation of this disease entity through publishing the results from our experience of surgical management of such lesions.


METHODS
Patients diagnosed with abdominal wall endometrioma over a period of 10 y were identified from the comprehensive surgical database of our institution. The age, parity, symptoms, previous surgeries, initial diagnosis, diagnostic modalities, current operation, and recurrences were surveyed and analyzed.


RESULTS
There were 40 patients with a mean age of 32.3 ± 5.2 y. All of the patients (100%, n = 40) had an abdominal mass in or adjacent to surgical scars. The main symptom was pain, noncyclic (45%, n =18), or cyclic (40%, n = 16) in nature. The mean duration of symptoms was 18.2 ± 23.4 mo. The preoperative diagnosis was correct in 47.5% (n = 19) of the cases. Surgical treatment failed in 3 cases (3/33, 9.1%), and the operations were performed once again.


CONCLUSIONS
Abdominal wall endometriosis may be difficult to diagnose as it is comparatively an unfamiliar entity that has not received its due attention among general surgeons, so far. Therefore, in patients with a palpable subcutaneous mass in or around surgical scars with a history of violation of uterus, a thorough history and physical examination is necessary, and usually sufficient to make correct diagnosis of endometrioma.
Bektaş
Hasan
H
General Surgery Department, Istanbul Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey. hasanbektas3417@hotmail.com
Bilsel
Yilmaz
Y
Sari
Yavuz Selim
YS
Ersöz
Feyzullah
F
Koç
Oğuz
O
Deniz
Mehdi
M
Boran
Birtan
B
Huq
Gülben Erdem
GE
D034861:Abdominal Wall / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D000328:Adult; D002585:Cesarean Section / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016208:Databases, Factual; D004715:Endometriosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007044:Hysterectomy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D011859:Radiography; D055815:Young Adult