Surgery vs. hormone-based treatment for pain control in deep infiltrating endometriosis: a retrospective cohort study.

Objective: To evaluate the outcome of surgical or hormone-based pharmacological treatment for deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE) in patients with pain symptoms.

Study Design: A retrospective cohort study of 122 women with DIE of the bowel was conducted: 61 women underwent surgical treatment due to poor pain control and 61 received hormone-based treatment alone for at least six months. Chronic pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea, deep dyspareunia, dyschezia and dysuria were evaluated by a visual analog scale (VAS) to measure pain on a scale from 0 to 10.