Abdominal wall endometriomas: report of eight cases

Eight cases of abdominal wall endometrioma were encountered in seven patients from February 1994 through April 1996. The age of the patients ranged from 19 to 36 years, with an average age of 32.8 years. Ten abdominal procedures had been performed on these patients before the diagnosis of endometrioma: six cesarean sections, two diagnostic laparoscopies, one total vaginal hysterectomy, and one ventriculoperitoneal shunt. Symptoms occurred from 6 months to 10 years after their previous surgery. Only one patient had a prior diagnosis of endometriosis. The most common presentation was a cyclic painful abdominal mass. The differential diagnosis included endometrioma in four (50%) of the cases. Diagnostic tests used for preoperative evaluation included ultrasound, fine-needle aspiration, and computed tomography. All patients underwent wide local excision. There was one recurrence, requiring re-excision at 22 months postoperatively. The pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, and recent literature are discussed.