Endometriosis Classification Systems: An International Survey to Map Current Knowledge and Uptake

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Medicine
• Surgical Innovation
• Clinical Classification Systems

Background:

• Multiple classification, staging, and reporting systems for endometriosis exist.
• Routine clinical use, preferred systems, and clinician motivations for these systems remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the current use of endometriosis classification systems among clinicians.
• To identify challenges with existing systems and gauge interest in a new, simple surgical descriptive system.
• To understand clinician motivations and expectations for a novel endometriosis classification system.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving a survey distributed via SurveyMonkey.
• The survey comprised 11 questions covering participant background, current system usage, and future system preferences.
• Data from 1178 clinicians (surgeons, gynecologists, reproductive endocrinologists, fertility specialists, sonographers) were analyzed using SPSS.

Main Results:

• 75.5% of surveyed clinicians currently use an endometriosis classification system.
• The Revised American Society for Reproductive Medicine (rASRM) classification was the most known and used system.
• The Endometriosis Fertility Index (EFI) and ENZIAN classification systems were known by many but used by few; lack of clinical relevance was a common issue.

Conclusions:

• Clinicians managing endometriosis show openness to a new, simple, and clinically relevant surgical descriptive classification system.
• Existing systems, while utilized, often fall short in practical clinical application.
• Findings support the development of a new system addressing user expectations for standardized, relevant, and simple endometriosis reporting.