Sigmoid colon perforation due to endometriosis not associated with pregnancy

A 38-yr-old woman presented with abdominal pain, hematochezia, and fever of 7 days' duration. Computerized tomographic scanning revealed a mass 6 cm in diameter adherent to the sigmoid colon. At surgery, the mass was determined to be an endometrioma with an associated tubo-ovarian abscess eroding the sigmoid colonic wall. This case, illustrating colonic perforation, represents a rare complication of intestinal endometriosis and, to our knowledge, represents the first reported case of colonic perforation secondary to endometriosis not associated with pregnancy. The clinical manifestations of intestinal endometriosis leading to perforation are reviewed.