Identifying the Problems of Randomized Controlled Trials for the Surgical Management of Endometriosis-associated Pelvic Pain

Comparing the treatment of endometriosis-related pain by excision of endometriosis or hysterectomy: A multicentre prospective cohort study

OBJECTIVE

To compare the effectiveness of endometriosis excision alone to excision plus hysterectomy, with and without bilateral oophorectomy, for endometriosis-related symptoms.

DESIGN

Multicentre prospective cohort.

SETTING

Eighty-six specialist endometriosis centres.

POPULATION

Women undergoing rectovaginal endometriosis surgery between 2009 and 2021.

METHODS

We performed multivariable regression with random effects for patient and centre, controlling for age, BMI, smoking, laparoscopic versus open approach and type of bowel surgery performed, with sensitivity analysis for loss to follow-up.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Pain scores, bowel symptoms and quality-of-life measures.

RESULTS

Compared to endometriosis excision alone, women undergoing hysterectomy with conservation of ovaries had greater improvement in non-cyclical pain (MD: 1.41/10, 95% CI: 1.03-1.78, p < 0.001), dyspareunia (MD: 1.12/10, 95% CI: 0.71-1.53, p < 0.001), back pain (MD: 1.29/10, 95% CI: 0.92-1.67, p < 0.001) and quality-of-life scores (MD: 8.77/100, 95% CI: 5.79-11.75, p < 0.001) at 24 months post-operatively. Women undergoing hysterectomy with bilateral oophorectomy also had greater improvement in non-cyclical pelvic pain (MD: 2.22/10, 95% CI: 1.80-2.63, p < 0.001), dyspareunia (MD: 1.05/10, 95% CI: 0.59-1.52, p < 0.001), back pain (MD: 1.18/10, 95% CI: 0.77-1.59, p < 0.001) and quality of life (MD: 12.41/100, 95% CI: 9.07-15.74, p < 0.001) at 24 months compared to endometriosis excision alone. Compared to hysterectomy with ovarian conservation, hysterectomy with bilateral oophorectomy was associated with greater improvement in non-cyclical pelvic pain (MD: 0.81/10, 95% CI: 0.32-1.30, p = 0.001) at 24 months and quality of life (MD: 3.74/100, 95% CI: 0.56-6.92, p = 0.021) at 12 months, although this result was sensitive to loss to follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients who undergo endometriosis excision plus hysterectomy experience greater improvement in pain and quality of life compared to those who have endometriosis excision alone. There are additional benefits of bilateral oophorectomy with hysterectomy, although its value is less clear due to loss of follow-up.

Nerve-sparing surgery in deep endometriosis: Has its time come?

Nerve-sparing (NS) surgery was first introduced for the treatment of deep endometriosis (DE) 20 years ago, drawing on established neuroanatomy and success from oncological applications. It aims to identify and preserve autonomic nerve fibres, reduce iatrogenic nerve injury, and minimize postoperative visceral dysfunction, without compromising the therapeutic effectiveness against endometriosis. The evolution of NS surgical techniques over the past two decades has been supported by an expanding body of literature on anatomical details, dissection techniques, and functional outcomes. Recent evidence suggests that NS surgery results in reduced postoperative voiding dysfunction (POVD). Transient POVD may be influenced by preoperative dysfunction, with parametrial infiltration being a strong predictive factor for POVD. While the benefits in bowel and sexual functions are less pronounced and consistent, NS surgery potentially prevents de novo dysfunctions in these areas. Furthermore, perioperative complication rates, effectiveness in pain relief, and fertility outcomes are reportedly on par with conventional surgery.

Efficacy of excision versus ablation for improving endometriosis related pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background:

Surgical treatment of superficial peritoneal endometriosis includes excision or ablation. Controversy exists about which method is better for providing pain relief. We performed a meta-analysis of randomized control trials (RCTs) comparing the efficacy of excision versus ablation for improving the most frequently encountered endometriosis pain symptoms: dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, non-cyclic pelvic pain, and dyschezia.

Methods:

A search from inception to May 2020 was conducted in PubMed, MEDLINE, Clinicaltrials.gov, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Web of Science. RCTs comparing excision versus ablation for peritoneal endometriosis were included if they assessed dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, dyschezia, and pelvic pain/non-menstrual pain. Exclusion criteria included extra-peritoneal endometriosis or endometriomas, and non-English publications. Publications were assessed for risk of bias and quality of evidence using Cochrane risk of bias tool (RoB 2) and GradePro.

Results:

Of the 2025 records identified initially, four met inclusion criteria. The sample sizes of the included studies ranged from 24 to 133 participants. The excision and ablation groups included 204 participants each. There was no difference after excision or ablation for dysmenorrhea when comparing the mean change in pain scores from baseline to 12 months after surgery (−0.31, 95% CI −1.66, 1.04, p = 0.65), dyspareunia (−0.24, 95% CI −1.78, 1.30, p = 0.76), dyschezia (−0.72, 95% CI −1.94, 0.50, p = 0.25), or non-cyclic pain (−0.78, 95% CI −2.47, 0.91, p = 0.37).

Conclusions:

We found low to moderate quality evidence suggesting that neither excision nor ablation is superior in reduction of endometriosis-related pain up to 12 months after surgery.

Surgical Management of Urinary Tract Endometriosis: A 1-year Longitudinal Multicenter Pilot Study at 31 French Hospitals (by the FRIENDS Group)

STUDY OBJECTIVE

To describe the surgical management and risks of postoperative complications of patients with urinary tract endometriosis in France in 2017.

DESIGN

Multicenter retrospective cohort pilot study.

SETTING

Departments of gynecology at 31 expert endometriosis centers.

PATIENTS

All women managed surgically for urinary tract endometriosis from January 1, 2017, to December 31, 2017. We distinguished patients with isolated bladder endometriosis or isolated ureteral endometriosis (IUE) from those with endometriosis in both locations (mixed locations [ML]).

INTERVENTIONS

Surgeons belonging to the French Colorectal Infiltrating Endometriosis Study (FRIENDS) group enrolled patients who filled a 24-item questionnaire on the day of the inclusion and 3 months later. Data were collected on operative routes, surgical management, and postoperative complications according to the Clavien-Dindo classification in a single anonymized database.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

A total of 232 patients from 31 centers were included. Isolated bladder endometriosis was found in 82 patients (35.3%), IUE in 126 patients (54.4%), and ML in 24 patients (10.3%). Surgery was performed by laparoscopy, laparotomy, or robot-assisted laparoscopy in 74.1%, 11.2%, and 14.7% of the cases, respectively. Among the 150 ureteral lesions (IUE and ML), 114 were managed with ureterolysis (76%), 28 with ureteral resection (18.7%), 4 with nephrectomy (2.7%), and 23 with cystectomy (15.3%). Concerning bladder endometriosis, a partial cystectomy was performed in 94.3% of the cases. We reported 61 postoperative complications (26.3%): 44 low-grade complications according to the Clavien-Dindo classification (18%), 16 grade III complications (7%), and 1 grade IV complication (peritonitis).

CONCLUSION

The surgical management of ureteral and bladder endometriosis is usually feasible and safe through laparoscopic surgery. Ureteral resection, when necessary, is more strongly associated with laparotomy and with more complications than other procedures. Prospective controlled studies are still mandatory to assess the best surgical management for patients.

Six-month follow-up of minimally invasive nerve-sparing complete excision of endometriosis: What about dyspareunia?

STUDY OBJECTIVE

To assess individual changes of deep dyspareunia (DDyspareunia) six months after laparoscopic nerve-sparing complete excision of endometriosis, with or without robotic assistance.

METHODS

This preplanned interdisciplinary observational study with a retrospective analysis of intervention enrolled 126 consecutive women who underwent surgery between January 2018 and September 2019 at a private specialized center. Demographics, medical history and surgery details were recorded systematically. DDyspareunia (primary outcome), dysmenorrhea and acyclic pelvic pain were assessed on self-reported 11-point numeric rating scales both preoperatively and at six-month follow-up. Cases with poor prognosis in relation to dyspareunia were described individually in greater detail.

RESULTS

Preoperative DDyspareunia showed weak correlation with dysmenorrhea (rho = .240; P = .014) and pelvic pain (rho = .260; P = .004). Although DDyspareunia improved significantly (P < .001) by 3 points or more in 75.8% (95%CI: 64.7-86.2) and disappeared totally in 59.7% of cases (95%CI:47.8-71.6), individual analysis identified different patterns of response. The probability of a preoperative moderate/severe DDyspareunia worsening more than 2 points was 4.8% (95%CI: 0.0-10.7) and the probability of a woman with no DDyspareunia developing "de novo" moderate or severe DDyspareunia was 7.7% (95%CI: 1.8-15.8) and 5.8% (95%CI: 0.0-13.0), respectively. In a qualitative analysis, several conditions were hypothesized to impact the post-operative DDyspareunia response; these included adenomyosis, mental health disorders, lack of hormone therapy after surgery, colporrhaphy, nodule excision in ENZIAN B compartment (uterosacral ligament/parametrium), the rectovaginal septum or the retrocervical region.

CONCLUSION

Endometriosis surgery provides significant improvement in DDyspareunia. However, patients should be alerted about the possibility of unsatisfactory results.