Pharmacologic treatment of the ovarian endometrioma.
BACKGROUND
Treatment of ovarian endometriomas is commonly achieved through laparoscopic surgery and this can be effective in eliminating the disease, although a majority of recent trials documented an adverse effect of surgery on ovarian reserve markers. With the advancement in imaging techniques, ovarian endometriomas are increasingly diagnosed at an earlier stage when the endometrioma may be smaller, less fibrotic and more responsive to medical treatment, making an evaluation of medical options critically important.


METHODS
The review focuses on currently utilized pharmacologic therapies for endometrioma (oral contraceptives, the levonorgestrel-releasing IUS, the hormone-releasing subdermal implant, Implanon); experimental and future treatments are also mentioned (GnRH antagonists, progesterone receptor modulators, antioestrogens, newer subdermal implants and intracystic administration of pharmacologic agents). Finally, the usefulness of post-operative adjuvant medical treatments is discussed Expert opinion: Today, reliable, non-invasive diagnostic procedures of an ovarian endometrioma are available and should be utilized to identify its presence and type of pathology. In a young patient, classic medical therapies such as oral contraceptives and synthetic progestins should be tried first to alleviate symptoms. Only when these regimens fail, should a minimally invasive surgery be envisaged. Following endoscopic surgery, adjuvant medical treatment may reduce recurrence of both symptoms and the lesion.
a Department of Gynaecology, Obstetrics and Urology , Sapienza University of Rome , Rome , Italy.
Giuseppe
G
Benagiano
b Department of Gynecology, Shanghai Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital , Fudan University , Shanghai , People's Republic of China.
Sun-Wei
SW
Guo
c Department of Surgical and Medical Sciences and Traslational Medicine, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology , Sapienza University of Rome , Rome , Italy.
Paola
P
Bianchi
d Leuven Institute for Fertility and Embryology , Leuven , Belgium.
Patrick
P
Puttemans
d Leuven Institute for Fertility and Embryology , Leuven , Belgium.
Stephan
S
Gordts
e Department of Molecular and Developmental Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology , University of Siena , Siena , Italy.
Felice
F
Petraglia
f Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology , Catholic University of Leuven , Leuven , Belgium.
Ivo
I
Brosens
D003276:Contraceptives, Oral / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017135:Desogestrel / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004715:Endometriosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016912:Levonorgestrel / Q000627:therapeutic use
D003276:Contraceptives, Oral; C044815:etonogestrel; D016912:Levonorgestrel; D017135:Desogestrel
Aromatase inhibitors; combined oral contraceptives; gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues; intra-uterine systems; ovarian endometrioma; progestins; subdermal implants