Laparoscopic surgery for the management of ovarian endometrioma

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of laparoscopic surgery on the symptoms associated with ovarian endometrioma. We also examined serum IL-6 concentrations in patients with endometrioma. Ninety-two patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery for ovarian endometrioma were enrolled in this study. The mean duration of follow-up was 27.6 months. Transvaginal ultrasound examinations revealed a recurrence of endometrioma in 13% of the cases. We evaluated the severity of dysmenorrhea using a 0-3-point verbal rating scale, and found that the dysmenorrhea score was statistically improved after the operation. Follicular growth was preserved in 94%, and the pregnancy rate was 43%. We measured serum IL-6 concentrations in 14 patients with ovarian endometrioma and 4 patients with benign gynecologic disease without endometriosis. IL-6 was significantly higher in patients with endometrioma than in those without endometriosis at the time of diagnosis. The mean serum IL-6 concentration significantly decreased after the operation. In conclusion, laparoscopic surgery is effective for alleviating pain and preserving fertility in patients with endometrioma. Measurements of serum IL-6 concentrations may be useful for the management of endometrioma.