title: Case study of a rare form of endometriosis.
abstract: Endometriosis is a common, benign, chronic, estrogen-dependent disorder. The endometrial tissue implants itself outside the uterus and can be usually found in the pelvis or, in rare cases, it can be found nearly anywhere in the body. There are no pathognomonic symptoms of this disease, therefore, in some cases the tumors are incidentally discovered during surgery. Deep infiltrative endometriosis (DIE) is a rare form of this condition, which mostly affects the uterosacral ligaments, the rectovaginal space, and the upper third of the posterior vaginal wall, the bowel, and the urinary tract. We present the case of a 29-year-old pregnant female who was diagnosed with infiltrative endometriosis during the cesarean section at 38 weeks of gestation. The tumors involving the vesicouterine peritoneum had a tendency of infiltrating the urinary bladder, but the patient had been completely asymptomatic prior to this incidental discovery. As cited by literature, the discovery and management of urinary endometriosis, as well as that of other localizations of DIE, is not based on high-level evidence data, but rather on case-series reported by surgical teams working in different centers worldwide.
authors.affiliation: Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, Bucharest University Hospital.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cirstoiu
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Bodean
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Secara
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Munteanu
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cirstoiu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004715:Endometriosis / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010537:Peritoneum / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D011247:Pregnancy; D014599:Uterus / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery
keywords: infiltrating endometriosis; pregnancy; urinary bladder