title: Long-term follow-up after laparoscopic treatment for endometriosis: multivariate analysis of predictive factors for recurrence of endometriotic lesions and pain.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate factors that might influence the recurrence of both painful symptoms and endometriotic lesions following laparoscopic treatment of endometriosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective cohort study in a University teaching hospital. We reviewed data from patients referred for laparoscopy between March 1993 and November 2007. We selected women who were followed up throughout Transvaginal-ultrasound (TV-US) after a first conservative laparoscopy for endometriosis. After laparoscopy, all patients were followed up according to an internal protocol: a standard gynaecologic examination, the assessment of painful symptoms and a TV-US scan that were repeated at 3, 6, and 12 months, and subsequently on a yearly basis. Sixteen factors were assessed by univariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazards models to evaluate their associations with recurrence of endometriotic lesions and pain related-endometriosis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  401 women were enrolled. A total of 154 (38.4%) experienced moderate or severe pain after laparoscopy; endometriotic lesions were observed by TV-US in 74 (18.4%) patients. In the multivariable model, age at menarche, severity of chronic pelvic pain (CPP) and dysmenorrhoea prior to surgery were significant risk factors for recurrence/occurrence of pain. Age at the first laparoscopy, stage of disease, pre-operative severity of CPP, and pregnancy were predictive factors of the recurrence for such lesions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The severity of CPP prior to the first laparoscopy showed the only significant factor in the overall prediction of recurrence of pain and endometriotic lesions. Patients with severe CPP at the time of their first surgery might represent a sub-group of women with a more aggressive form of endometriosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynaecology, Perinatology and Human Reproduction, University of Florence, Florence, Italy. cocciame@tin.it
authors.forename: Maria Elisabetta
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Coccia
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rizzello
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Palagiano
authors.forename: Gianfranco
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Scarselli
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004412:Dysmenorrhea / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D004715:Endometriosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008499:Medical Records; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010147:Pain Measurement; D017699:Pelvic Pain / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D015995:Prevalence; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D055502:Secondary Prevention; D014463:Ultrasonography