Long-Term Outcome after Laparoscopic Bowel Resections for Deep Infiltrating Endometriosis: A Single-Center Experience after 900 Cases

Background . Laparoscopic bowel resections for endometriosis are safe and effective but only short-term follow-up has been evaluated. In the present study long-term outcome in terms of intestinal and urinary function, fertility, chronic pain, and recurrence was assessed. Materials and Methods . From January 2002 to December 2010 nine hundred patients underwent laparoscopic bowel resection for endometriosis, and on 774 (86%) a questionnaire was administered. Patients were divided into 3 groups on the strength of the operation date. Postoperative diarrhea, constipation, rectal bleeding, tenesmus, dyschezia, dysuria, dyspareunia, fertility, and recurrence of disease were assessed. Results . The median follow-up was 54 months (range 1–120). All the evaluated symptoms significantly improved over time, with P = 0.0001 for dyspareunia, constipation, and pelvic pain and P = 0.004 for diarrhea. Nonsignificant improvement was reported for dysuria and rectal bleeding (with P = 0.452 and P = 0.097, resp.). Conclusions . The present results confirm that bowel resections for endometriosis are correlated with an acceptable complication rate even at long-term follow-up and that symptoms significantly improve over time, except for rectal bleeding and dysuria, the latter associated with a neurological damage.