Laparoscopic Endometriosis Resection Surgery
Endometriosis requires a surgical diagnosis, through laparoscopy, a minimally invasive operation performed through a 5 mm incision in the abdomen. In most cases, endometriosis can be visualized as a classic brown or bloody implant. Other times it is white or blister in appearance and other times it can only be detected in a biopsy of the pelvic organs and detected with a microscope by a pathologist.
Treatment can also be initiated through the laparoscope once the diagnosis is established. Deep lesions are typically excised for best results and superficial lesions can be vaporized using lasers or cautery. The goal is to reduce the endometriosis load as much as possible to reduce symptoms of pain and inflammation and repair the damaged organs.
However successful surgery maybe in alleviating pain and increasing the chance of fertility, it is usually not a cure. In severe cases, not all lesions can be removed and microscopic lesions not visualized can’t be surgically treated.
Once debulking of endometriosis is surgically completed, hormonal suppression treatment is recommended to prevent future growth. This strategy is effective in most patients.
Having said all this, each patient and each case of endometriosis is different. Some cause pain and pain control is the objective, and others fertility is the issue and in some both. The aggressiveness of surgical and medical treatment is then modified to each individual needs.
If done properly endometriosis can be effectively treated and symptoms managed.
Some studies have shown women with untreated endometriosis are at increased risk of ovarian cancer. However aggressive treatment has resulted in normalization of this risk.