NEW RESEARCH has found that patients who treat endometriosis with surgery experience significant quality of life improvements. Researchers conducted an observational, longitudinal, and prospective analytical study of 102 females with pelvic pain and endometriosis, unimproved by clinical treatment and indicated for surgical treatment (mean age: 35.96 years; 68.8% Brown, 17.6% White, 13.8% Black). Overall, 20.5% of patients underwent excision of all endometriotic lesions alone, 29.5% underwent excision plus myomectomy, 22.6% underwent excision plus hysterectomy, 22.5% underwent excision plus rectosigmoidectomy plus hysterectomy, and 4.9% underwent excision plus myomectomy plus rectosigmoidectomy.
Patient quality of life was assessed using the 30-item Endometriosis Health Profile questionnaire before surgery, and 3- and 6 months after surgery. Questionnaire scores range from 0–100, with a lower score indicating better quality of life. “The relevance of this method for the construction of its items arises from literature findings that indicate that patients’ evaluations of their health and wellbeing differ from those performed by health professionals,” reported lead author, João Nogueira Neto, Federal University of Maranhão, São Luís, Brazil.
Mean quality of life scores 3- and 6 months after surgery were 16.25 and 7.5, respectively, compared to 46.67 before surgery (P <0.0001 for all). Questionnaire scores were significantly lower 3- and 6 months after surgery compared to before surgery across all questionnaire modules, including the work module (10 and 0 versus 35), relationship with children module (0 and 0 versus 50), sexual intercourse module (15.0 and 7.5 versus 50), treatment module (16.66 and 0.0 versus 41.66), and infertility module (25.0 and 6.25 versus 50). There was no correlation between the degree of endometriosis severity and quality of life scores at any timepoints.
These findings show that surgical treatment of endometriosis offers a good prognosis for improving quality of life. Neto and colleagues emphasised: “Surgery is justified to relieve the suffering, limitations of daily activities, and anxiety and depression that affect patients with endometriosis.”
