RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To identify epidemiologic risk factors and investigate whether the characteristics of removed ovarian tissue during surgery influence the recurrence of endometriomas. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Medical university hospital. POPULATION: 248 women with endometriomas. METHODS: All women who had a minimum of 2 years of follow-up after the laparoscopic excision of endometriomas were analysed retrospectively. Specimens were analysed histologically. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Sixteen epidemiologic variables were analysed as possible risk factors for recurrence. The association between the characteristics of removed ovarian tissue (the thickness of the cyst wall, the thickness of ovarian tissue, and the morphological features) and endometrioma recurrence was investigated. RESULTS: The cumulative incidence of endometriomas reached 42% at 60 months after surgery. We identified only a younger age at surgery as a risk factor, and postoperative pregnancy as a preventive factor. There were no differences in the mean thickness of the cyst wall and the removed ovarian tissue between patients with and without recurrence. No statistically significant associations were found between the morphologic characteristics of removed cyst wall, ovarian tissue, graded on a semi-quantitative basis, and recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the rate of endometrioma recurrence had a significant relation to patient age and postoperative pregnancy; however, there was no association between the histological characteristics of the excised tissue and recurrence.