ABDOMINAL WALL ENDOMETRIOSIS - A REVIEW AND PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

摘要

ENDOMETRIOSIS IS CHARACTERIZED BY THE PRESENCE OF UTERINE MUCOSAL TISSUE OUTSIDE THE UTERUS. ABDOMINAL WALL ENDOMETRIOSIS (AWE) IS A RARE ENTITY, USUALLY DEVELOPED IN THE FERTILE PERIOD OF WOMEN. IT MEANS ENDOMETRIOSIS OUTSIDE THE PERITONEUM. PARIETAL ENDOMETRIOSIS INCLUDE, BESIDE AWE, PERINEAL ENDOMETRIOSIS. IT CAN BE PRIMARY ENDOMETRIOSIS (WHICH IS QUITE RARE, SUCH AS UMBILICAL), OR, MORE OFTEN, SECONDARY, AFTER SURGICAL OR GYNECOLOGICAL PROCEDURES. SCAR ENDOMETRIOSIS IS DUE TO INTRAOPERATIVE DISEMINATION AND IS MORE FREQUENTLY LOCATED TO C-SECTION SCAR. THE SYMPTOMS INCLUDE CATAMENIAL PAIN, PALPABLE MASS WITH OR WITHOUT CYCLIC VARIATIONS, AND EVEN EXTERNAL HAEMORRAGE SYNCRONOUS WITH MENSTRA. CYCLICITY OF PAIN OR OF MASS DIMENSIONS’ VARIATION IS NOT PRESENT IN ALL CASES. DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS SHOULD BE MADE WITH STITCH GRANULOMA, ABSCESS, LIPOMA, HEMATOMA, SEBACEOUS CYST, SEROMA, HERNIA, OR EVEN MALIGNANT TUMORS. IMAGISTIC METHODS, SUCH AS ULTRASOUND, MRI AND CT SCAN ARE USEFULL FOR DIAGNOSIS. SURGICAL EXCISION OF ENDOMETRIAL MASS IS UNANIMOUSLY CONSIDERED TO BE THE ONLY CURATIVE TREATMENT.