Intestinal endometriosis. Our experience

Intestinal endometriosis is defined as a bowel infiltration by ectopic endometrial tissue. The prevalence is 3-37% of all women affected by endometriosis. Rectosigmoid colon is the most frequent location (70-93%), followed to ileocecal region, appendix and other colon and small bowel segments. Intestinal endometriosis usually is asymptomatic. Often it is only diagnosed during surgery for other reasons. The symptoms frequently are nonspecific, although it may appear as an acute abdominal pain. Clinical history, physical examination and image techniques are necessary for the diagnosis. The choice of the operative technique depends on the clinical presentation and on the fertility wishes of the patient. Laparotomy and laparoscopy are equally effective, but laparoscopic approach is preferred. We present 17 cases of patients from our Hospital diagnosed with intestinal endometriosis, from 2006 to 2015.