Can transvaginal sonography predict infiltration depth in patients with deep infiltrating endometriosis of the rectum?

Background: Patients with deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE) of the rectum often benefit from surgical treatment, including disc or segmental bowel resection, in terms of pain relief and treatment of infertility. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of transvaginal sonography (TVS) for preoperative detection of rectal DIE. Furthermore, we aimed to investigate whether TVS can predict infiltration depth based on the distortion of characteristic sonomorphologic features of the rectal wall.