Does laparoscopic management of deep infiltrating endometriosis improve quality of life? A prospective study

BACKGROUND Deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE) can affect importantly patients' quality of life (QOL). The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of the laparoscopic management of DIE on QOL after six months from treatment. METHODS It is a prospective cohort study. In a tertiary care university hospital, between April 2008 and December 2009, 100 patients underwent laparoscopic management of DIE and completed preoperatively and 6-months postoperatively a QOL questionnaire, the short form 36 (SF-36).Quality of life was measured through the SF-36 scores. Intra-operative details of disease site, number of lesions, type of intervention, period of hospital stay and peri-operative complications were noted. RESULTS Six months postoperatively all the women had a significant improvement in every scale of the SF-36 (p < 0,0005). Among patients with intestinal DIE, significant differences in postoperative scores of SF-36 were not detected between patients submitted to nodule shaving and segmental resection (p > 0.05). There was no significant difference in the SF-36 scores at 6 months from surgery between patients who received postoperative medical treatment and patients who did not (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Laparoscopic excision of DIE lesions significantly improves general health and psycho-emotional status at six months from surgery without differences between patients submitted to intestinal segmental resection or intestinal nodule shaving.