Inguinal endometriosis mimicking an inguinal hernia: A case report and literature review

Inguinal endometriosis is a very rare extrapelvic form of endometriosis, estimated to occur in only 0.3-0.6% of women with endometriosis. It mostly affects the right round ligament running inside the inguinal canal. Its symptoms, an intermittent, cyclical right groin mass or pain, can very easily be confused with an inguinal hernia, which results in patients not being diagnosed on time or being operated on inappropriately. Here we present a 38-year-old female patient with repeated episodes of gradually worsening and relieving right inguinal pain, in whom ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings were highly suggestive of inguinal endometriosis. Laparoscopic excision of the lesion together with the involved round ligament segment was performed, and histopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis, rather than management as a simple hernia.