Laparoscopic Colorectal Resection Reduces Pain in Women With Endometriosis Unresponsive to Hormonal Treatment

This is an interesting article for our readers who treat pain patients

A study published in Diseases of the Colon & Rectum suggest that women who underwent laparoscopic colorectal resection for endometriosis not responding to hormonal treatment reported significant reductions in pain intensity associated with menstrual periods, between periods and less pain associated with bowel movements.

Lead author Mads Riiskjær, MD, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark, noted: “We strongly recommend surgery for rectosigmoid endometriosis that is unresponsive to conservative treatment.”

Surgeons collected information on pelvic pain and quality of life before and after laparoscopic bowel resection for endometriosis. Of 175 women who completed preoperative surveys regarding pelvic pain and quality of life, 97% of women also completed these same surveys 1 year after surgery.

The most common bowel site of endometriosis was in the upper rectum. Major findings of this study included a dramatic increase in the number of patients not on any hormonal or pain medication after surgery (19% of patients preoperatively vs 44% postoperatively taking no hormone treatment and 6% of patients preoperatively vs 38% postoperatively taking no pain medication), and a profound increase in quality of life.

Along with the pain reduction, women who had undergone laparoscopic bowel resection for endometriosis reported significant improvements in general health, vitality, mental health, physical functioning and many other components of improved quality of life. This group has previously shown that laparoscopic bowel resection also results in less painful sex.