Removal of Endometriosis

Endometriosis is a disease process that affects women, mainly during their reproductive years. The same tissue lining the inside of the uterus (womb) establishes itself in sites of the body other than the uterus – usually within the pelvis.

Diagnosis and treatment of endometriosis

Laparoscopy is initially used to diagnose endometriosis.

Advanced laparoscopic surgery is also more frequently used to treat endometriosis. This has meant that very major surgery, previously performed through a large incision, can now be done laparoscopically. This means short (often one night) hospital stays and quicker return to work with much less post-operative pain.

This is very skilled surgery and often requires extra training. It often can take one to three hours and involve a lot of dissection of the pelvic structures when the endometriosis has caused severe damage that must be repaired. The bowel often needs to be freed from the ovaries and uterus. Lumps of endometriosis are removed with great precision due to the improved visibility of the laparoscope.

At these laparoscopies all the scarring and endometriosis (old and new) is excised and removed. The aim is to leave the pelvis completely free of all scarring and endometriosis. Long-term pain relief may be obtained from this level of surgery.

Patients often need prior to surgery a bowel clean out (bowel prep), as often at this level of severity, the endometriosis involves bowel adhesions. Data suggests excellent long term results from this surgery.