Laparoscopic management of intestinal endometriosis

Intestinal involvement by endometriosis traditionally required open laparotomy for bowel resection and anastomosis. Operative laparoscopy may offer the most effective form of treatment for these women. Two women with endometriosis of the rectum and right hemicolon, respectively, underwent transvaginal resection of the rectum and laparotomy for hemicolectomy, assisted by laparoscopy. The only morbidity was postoperative ileus in the former patient. Both women were asymptomatic at the 6-week postoperative visit.