Abdominal wall endometriosis: A case series and review of the literature

Abstract

Objective: Abdominal wall endometriosis refers to the presence of endometrial tissue in the abdominal wall following a previous obstetric or gynecologic operation. This study aims to present cases of scar endometriosis in the light of literature data. Case Series: Six patients that were operated for masses in the anterior abdominal wall and reported to have endometriosis after a pathological examination were retrospectively analyzed in this study. Demographic data, history of gynecologic and obstetric operations, symptoms on admission, duration of symptoms, and location and size of the mass were noted in all the patients. It was found that all of the patients (6/6) underwent caesarian section, and one of the patients additionally underwent ovarian cyst removal. The mean duration of symptoms present on admission was 25,8 months. The maximum and minimum mass sizes were 65 mm (30-120) and 49.3 mm (26-100), respectively. Conclusion: It should be kept in mind that presence of pain and masses in the anterior abdominal wall following a gynecologic or obstetric operation might be suggestive of endometriosis. We are of the opinion that increased caesarean section rates and use of different cesarean section techniques by different surgeons might play a role in the increased incidence of endometriosis.