Quality of life after segmental resection of the rectosigmoid by laparoscopy in patients with deep infiltrating endometriosis with bowel involvement.

Study Objective: To estimate the quality of life of patients undergoing laparoscopic resection of a segment of the rectosigmoid for the treatment of deep infiltrating endometriosis with bowel involvement.

Design: Prospective application of the SF-36 Health Status Questionnaire to 151 women before and 1 year after surgical intervention (Canadian Task Force Design Classification II).

Setting: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of São Paulo Medical School, and Samaritano Hospital, São Paulo, Brazil.

Patients: A total of 151 women (mean age 34.05 ± 5.65 years) with deep infiltrating endometriosis underwent resection of a segment of the rectosigmoid by laparoscopy between 2002 to 2009.

Interventions: All the patients had historical data collected and underwent clinical examination and transvaginal ultrasonography with prior bowel preparation for resection of a segment of the rectosigmoid by laparoscopy indicated for patients with symptoms (pelvic pain) with 1 or more lesions of more than 3 cm in length or multifocal lesions.

Measurements And Main Results: Wilcoxon signed rank test verified differences between the degrees of the symptoms and the SF-36 scores before and 1 year after laparoscopic treatment. There was a significant improvement (p < .001) in all pain-related symptoms, as well as a significant increase (p < .001) in scores in all the SF-36 domains and in the sum of the components comprising both physical and mental health.

Conclusion: Laparoscopic segmental resection of the rectosigmoid fulfills its essential objective of treating endometriosis with bowel involvement and improving patients' QoL to a significant extent.