Comparison of complications of vaginal hysterectomy in patients with leiomyomas and in patients with adenomyosis

Adenomyosis is an independent risk factor for complications in deep endometriosis laparoscopic surgery

Deep endometriosis (DE) occurs in 15-30% of patients with endometriosis and is associated with concomitant adenomyosis in around 25-49% of cases. There are no data about the effect of the presence of adenomyosis in terms of surgical outcomes and complications. Thus, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the impact of adenomyosis on surgical complications in women with deep endometriosis undergoing laparoscopic surgery. A retrospective cohort study including women referred to the endometriosis unit of a referral teaching hospital. Two expert sonographers preoperatively diagnosed DE and adenomyosis. DE was defined according to the criteria of the International Deep Endometriosis Analysis group. Adenomyosis was considered when 3 or more ultrasound criteria of the Morphological Uterus Sonographic Assessment group were present. Demographical variables, current medical treatment, symptoms, DE location, surgical time, hospital stay and difference in pre and post hemoglobin levels were collected. The Clavien-Dindo classification was used to assess surgical complications, and multivariate analysis was performed to compare patients with and without adenomyosis. 157 DE patients were included into the study; 77 (49.05%) had adenomyosis according to transvaginal ultrasound (TVS) and were classified in the A group, and 80 (50.95%) had no adenomyosis and were classified in the noA group. Adenomyosis was associated with a higher rate of surgical complications: 33.76% (A group) vs. 12.50% (noA group) (p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed a 4.56-fold increased risk of presenting complications in women with adenomyosis (CI 1.90-11.30; p = 0.001) independently of undergoing hysterectomy. There was a statistically significant association between the number of criteria of adenomyosis present in each patient and the proportion of patients presenting surgical complications (p < 0.001). Adenomyosis is an independent preoperative risk factor for surgical complications in DE surgery after adjustment for known demographic, clinical and surgical risk factors.

The Investigation and Management of Adenomyosis in Women Who Wish to Improve or Preserve Fertility

The management of adenomyosis remains a great challenge to practicing gynaecologists. Until recently, hysterectomy has been the only definitive treatment in women who have completed child bearing. A number of nonsurgical and minimally invasive, fertility-sparing surgical treatment options have recently been developed. This review focuses on three aspects of management, namely, (1) newly introduced nonsurgical treatments; (2) management strategies of reproductive failures associated with adenomyosis; and (3) surgical approaches to the management of cystic adenomyoma.

Surgery in adenomyosis

INTRODUCTION

Adenomyosis is defined as the presence of endometrial glands and stroma within the myometrium. The true prevalence is unknown and has been reported to range from 1 to 70%. It has a significantly negative impact on women's quality of life, causing abnormal uterine bleeding, dysmenorrhea, and chronic pelvic pain. The definitive treatment for adenomyosis is hysterectomy, although it does not contemplate patients who wish to preserve their fertility. The aim of this paper is to discuss the latest evidence on the surgical techniques for the treatment of adenomyosis published in medical-scientific databases.

METHOD

A comprehensive literature search for articles published from 1996 to 2017 related to surgery for adenomyosis was made in Pubmed, Medline, the Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar, in English, by the following MeSH terms: adenomyosis, surgery, pathogenesis, dysmenorrhea and infertility.

RESULTS

There is extensive evidence on several surgical approaches for the improvement of adenomyosis-related symptoms; however, there is no robust evidence that they are effective for infertility.

CONCLUSION

The management of adenomyosis is quite complex and controversial. Complications after extensive uterine reconstruction, such as uterine rupture, should be considered and discussed with the patient. There are still limited data to support surgery effectiveness, especially for infertility, and further well-designed studies are required.

Adenomyosis: from the sign to the diagnosis. Imaging, diagnostic pitfalls and differential diagnosis: a pictorial review

Adenomyosis is a pathological gynaecological condition characterised by benign invasion of the endometrium into the myometrium. It is often misdiagnosed, or is not easily recognised, although it is responsible for disabling symptoms such as menorrhagia, abnormal uterine bleeding, dysmenorrhoea and infertility in premenopausal women. The aim of this pictorial review is to analyse the features of adenomyosis by illustrating the most usual and typical imaging patterns, along with the unusual appearances, seen in a vast array of gynaecological imaging modalities. The different findings of focal and diffuse adenomyosis along with the diagnostic limitations of ultrasound, hysterosalpingography and magnetic resonance imaging are described, as are the pitfalls and differential diagnosis with other pathological conditions that are often misdiagnosed as adenomyosis. The role of the different imaging modalities in planning appropriate treatment and their usefulness in monitoring therapy are also discussed.

Medical and surgical management of adenomyosis

Adenomyosis of the uterus is a common condition amongst women in their reproductive years. It is defined as the presence of heterotopic endometrial glands and stroma in the myometrium with adjacent smooth muscle hyperplasia. The common presenting symptoms are painful and heavy periods and infertility, although many women are asymptomatic. Adenomyosis is thought to affect 1% of women and is typically diagnosed in the 4th and 5th decades of life. The aetiology is unclear, and until recently a diagnosis was made only after invasive and destructive surgery. With the advent of improved imaging of the pelvic organs, and in particular magnetic resonance imaging, the diagnosis of adenomyosis is being made more frequently. Unfortunately, because the disease has been infrequently diagnosed prior to hysterectomy, there are few well-designed studies of medical or surgical management. Management with hormonal treatment that aims to reduce the proliferation of endometrial cells is promising, but there is a paucity of well-designed studies to guide treatment. Hysterectomy or use of the levonorgestrel intrauterine system (LNG-IUS) remains the mainstay of treatment.