Uterine rupture following laparoscopic resection of rectovaginal endometriosis: a new risk factor?

Resection of deep-infiltrating endometriosis could be a risk factor for uterine rupture: a case series with review of the literature

Objective

To highlight the possible correlation between deep-infiltrating endometriosis (DIE) resection and subsequent uterine rupture.

Design

Case series and review of the literature.

Setting

Endometriosis referral hospitals.

Patient(s)

Seven young women who underwent laparoscopic resection of DIE, six of whom had uterine rupture before or during labor; the seventh patient had a posterior wall defect that placed her at increased risk of future uterine rupture.

Intervention(s)

Diagnosis of uterine rupture before or during labor in patients with a history of prior resection of DIE, leading to delivery by emergency delivery section or emergency laparotomy for exploration and repair.

Main Outcome Measure(s)

Immediate neonate and maternal salvaging caesarean delivery or laparotomy followed by surgical correction of the rupture.

Result(s)

As of 2019, no publications in the literature had considered uterine rupture among the obstetric complications of endometriosis. The reporting of such findings is crucial because of the increase in surgical management of endometriosis. We report seven cases of uterine rupture in pregnancy in women who had undergone resection of DIE. In six patients, surgeons found uterine rupture at the level of the previous resected endometriosis and diagnosed a posterior wall defect at the same level in one patient.

Conclusion(s)

Our case series sheds light on the potential increased risk of uterine rupture during pregnancy among women who have had a prior resection of DIE. In future, if these patients are considered high-risk pregnancy cases, their care should be managed by high-risk obstetric specialists.

Obstetrical complications of endometriosis, particularly deep endometriosis

Over the past few years, a new topic in the field of endometriosis has emerged: the potential impact of the disease on pregnancy outcomes. This review aims to summarize in detail the available evidence on the relationship between endometriosis, particularly deep endometriosis (DE), and obstetrical outcomes. Acute complications of DE, such as spontaneous hemoperitoneum, bowel perforation, and uterine rupture, may occur during pregnancy. Although these events represent life-threatening conditions, they are rare and unpredictable. Therefore, the current literature does not support any kind of prophylactic surgery before pregnancy to prevent such complications. Results on the impact of DE on obstetrical outcomes are debatable and characterized by several limitations, including small sample size, lack of adjustment for confounders, lack of adequate control subjects, and other methodologic flaws. For these reasons, it is not possible to draw conclusions on this topic. The strongest evidence shows that DE is associated with higher rates of placenta previa; for other obstetrical outcomes, such as miscarriage, intrauterine growth restriction, preterm birth and hypertensive disorders, results are controversial. Although it is unlikely that surgery of DE may modify the impact of the disease on the course of pregnancy, no study has yet investigated this issue.

From Endometriosis to Pregnancy: Which is the “Road-Map”?

In the last decade, pregnancy was considered as a therapeutic period for patients affected by endometriosis and painful symptoms. However, several studies have taken into consideration how endometriosis affects pregnancy achievement and pregnancy development, including obstetric complications. The adverse effects of endometriosis on the development of pregnancy include miscarriage, hypertensive disorders and pre-eclampsia, placenta previa, obstetric hemorrhages, preterm birth, small for gestational age, and adverse neonatal outcomes. The aim of this review is to analyze the current literature regarding the relationship between different forms of endometriosis (endometrioma, peritoneal endometriosis, deep endometriosis) and infertility, and the impact of endometriosis on pregnancy outcomes.

[About a case of uterine per-partum rupture, 37months after resection of a rectovaginal endometriosis nodule]

Endometriosis is a common condition in women, whose main repercussions are painful symptoms. In addition, it was shown that endometriosis was a major cause of infertility and various obstetric complications could be related to this pathology. Uterine rupture is a rare but serious complication whose incidence tends to decrease with the screening of women at risk, however, its fetal, maternal morbidity and mortality causes remains important. We were confronted with a case of posterior uterine rupture in a patient of 36 years, primipare term exceeded in immediate postpartum period. The patient's primary antecedent of uterine surgery torus was responsible for infertility endometriosis. The outcome was favorable for the mother, after a surgical treatment by laparotomy, and for the child. In the literature, two cases have been reported of uterine rupture after endometriosis surgery, which is why we found it interesting to report this rare case. Given the increase in surgical management of this disease, it seems relevant to ask whether, in the future, we should be more vigilant in monitoring pregnancy for these women.

A systematic review on endometriosis during pregnancy: diagnosis, misdiagnosis, complications and outcomes

BACKGROUND

Traditionally, pregnancy was considered to have a positive effect on endometriosis and its painful symptoms due not only to blockage of ovulation preventing bleeding of endometriotic tissue but also to different metabolic, hormonal, immune and angiogenesis changes related to pregnancy. However, a growing literature is emerging on the role of endometriosis in affecting the development of pregnancy and its outcomes and also on the impact of pregnancy on endometriosis. The present article aims to underline the difficulty in diagnosing endometriotic lesions during pregnancy and discuss the options for the treatment of decidualized endometriosis in relation to imaging and symptomatology; to describe all the possible acute complications of pregnancy caused by pre-existing endometriosis and evaluate potential treatments of these complications; to assess whether endometriosis affects pregnancy outcome and hypothesize mechanisms to explain the underlying relationships.

METHODS

This systematic review is based on material searched and obtained via Pubmed and Medline between January 1950 and March 2015. Peer-reviewed, English-language journal articles examining the impact of endometriosis on pregnancy and vice versa were included in this article.

RESULTS

Changes of the endometriotic lesions may occur during pregnancy caused by the modifications of the hormonal milieu, posing a clinical dilemma due to their atypical appearance. The management of these events is actually challenging as only few cases have been described and the review of available literature evidenced a lack of formal estimates of their incidence. Acute complications of endometriosis during pregnancy, such as spontaneous hemoperitoneum, bowel and ovarian complications, represent rare but life-threatening conditions that require, in most of the cases, surgical operations to be managed. Due to the unpredictability of these complications, no specific recommendation for additional interventions to the routinely monitoring of pregnancy of women with known history of endometriosis is advisable. Even if the results of the published studies are controversial, some evidence is suggestive of an association of endometriosis with spontaneous miscarriage, preterm birth and small for gestational age babies. A correlation of endometriosis with placenta previa (odds ratio from 1.67 to 15.1 according to various studies) has been demonstrated, possibly linked to the abnormal frequency and amplitude of uterine contractions observed in women affected. Finally, there is no evidence that prophylactic surgery would prevent the negative impact of endometriosis itself on pregnancy outcome.

CONCLUSIONS

Complications of endometriosis during pregnancy are rare and there is no evidence that the disease has a major detrimental effect on pregnancy outcome. Therefore, pregnant women with endometriosis can be reassured on the course of their pregnancies although the physicians should be aware of the potential increased risk of placenta previa. Current evidence does not support any modification of conventional monitoring of pregnancy in patients with endometriosis.

Hematometra following laparoscopic resection of retrocervical and rectovaginal endometriosis

OBJECTIVE

To report a case of hematometra following laparoscopic resection of rectovaginal endometriosis extending to the cervix.

DESIGN

Case report.

SETTING

University hospital.

PATIENT(S)

A 31-year-old woman with endometriosis and infertility.

INTERVENTION(S)

Combined laparoscopic and vaginal surgery.

RESULT(S)

The cervix had retracted into the vaginal scar after surgery, preventing the escape of menstrual blood. The hematometra was drained, and the cervix was repositioned into the vagina with use of a combined vaginal and laparoscopic approach.

CONCLUSION(S)

Retraction of the cervix into the cul-de-sac can occur as a complication of excision of rectovaginal nodules that extend onto the posterior surface of the cervix. Excision of the posterior cervix should avoid deep excision of the posterior lip and should be limited only to the ectocervical margin to avoid such complications.

Uterine rupture in a primigravida with adenomyosis recently subjected to laparoscopic resection of rectovaginal endometriosis: case report

A case of intrapartum, complete, low-posterior wall, transverse uterine rupture, complicated by uterine atony and treated by emergency hysterectomy in a primigravida with uterine adenomyosis who delivered vaginally at 37 weeks plus 5 days of gestation, 9 months after undergoing laparoscopic resection of rectovaginal septum endometriosis.

A Case Report: Change in Fetal Heart Rate Pattern on Spontaneous Uterine Rupture at 35 Weeks Gestation after Laparoscopically Assisted Myomectomy

A 31-year-old nulligravid woman who underwent laparoscopically assisted myomectomy 5 months before becoming pregnant suffered uterine rupture at 35 weeks gestation. A 50 g intramuscular myomatous node had been removed laparoscopically. Early signs of rupture included sudden onset of severe abdominal tenderness and frequent uterine contractions despite reassuring FHR tracing. Variable deceleration was observed as late as 7.5 hours after onset. Emergency cesarean section was performed due to increasing severity of tenderness, revealing complete uterine rupture at the fundus site without extrusion of the fetus or placenta. A male neonate (2,860 g) was delivered without asphyxia and an Apgar score of 8. Total volume of hemorrhage was approximately 50 ml. The ruptured uterine wall was repaired by suturing in 2 layers. The present case indicates that sudden onset of abdominal tenderness in pregnant women with a history of laparoscopic myomectomy may suggest uterine rupture even in the presence of reassuring FHR. This is a rare case, as non-reassuring FHR patterns generally appear in the late stages of uterine rupture.