Immune Dysregulation in Endometriomas: Implications for Inflammation.

The most common manifestation of endometriosis, a condition characterized by the presence of endometrial-like tissue outside of the uterus, is the endometrioma, a cystic ovarian lesion. It is a commonly occurring condition associated with chronic pelvic pain exacerbated prior to and during menstruation, as well as infertility. The exact pathomechanisms of the endometrioma are still not fully understood. Emerging evidence suggests a pivotal role of immune dysregulation in the pathogenesis of endometriomas, primarily influencing both local and systemic inflammatory processes. Among the factors implicated in the creation of the inflammatory milieu associated with endometriomas, alterations in both serum and local levels of several cytokines stand out, including IL-6, IL-8, and IL-1ß, along with abnormalities in the innate immune system. While numerous signaling pathways have been suggested to play a role in the inflammatory process linked to endometriomas, only NF-κB has been conclusively demonstrated to be involved. Additionally, increased oxidative stress, both resulting from and contributing to endometriomas, has been identified as a primary driver of both systemic and local inflammation associated with the condition. This article reviews the current understanding of immune dysfunctions in the endometrioma and their implications for inflammation.

Dienogest reduces endometrioma volume and endometriosis-related pain symptoms.

This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and adverse effects of dienogest for the treatment of endometriomas. Dienogest (2 mg/day) was administered to patients with endometrioma continuously through the 6-month study period. The patients were prospectively examined on the efficacy and side effects at baseline, at third months, and sixth months of the treatment. Twenty-four out of 30 patients were able to complete the study. The mean volume of the endometrioma decreased significantly from 112.63 ± 161.31 cm³ at baseline to 65.47 ± 95.69 cm³ at a 6-month follow-up (-41%) (p = .005). The VAS score for pelvic pain decreased significantly from 7.50 to 3.00 (p < .001) at the sixth months of treatment. The most common side effects were menstrual irregularities. Laboratory parameters did not change during the study. Dienogest considered being effective for 6 months of use in decreasing the size of endometrioma, reducing endometriosis-associated pain with a favourable safety and tolerability profile.Impact statementWhat is already known on this subject? Laparoscopic excisional surgery for endometrioma is currently the most valid approach in the treatment of endometriomas. However, there are concerns about ovarian reserve damage during surgery.What do the results of this study add? Dienogest considered being effective in decreasing the size of endometrioma, reducing endometriosis-associated pain with a favourable safety and tolerability profile. Long-term use of dienogest in younger patients with endometriomas who are yet to give birth may reduce the possibility of surgery by reducing the size of the endometriomas and may preserve ovarian reserve.What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? Dienogest may reduce the incidence of infectious complications such as pelvic abscess after oocyte retrieval and the surgical procedures in infertile patients with endometrioma.

Use of dienogest over 53 weeks for the treatment of endometriosis.

AIM: To evaluate the efficacy and adverse effects of Dienogest (DNG) over 53 weeks for the treatment of endometriosis. METHODS: DNG was administered to 75 patients with endometriosis over a period of 53 weeks. Medical charts were retrospectively examined on the efficacy and side effects. Reduction rates of ovarian chocolate cyst, adenomyosis and changes in serum estradiol and cancer antigen 125 concentration were measured. Adverse effects, patient evaluation of their symptoms and willingness to continue taking DNG were assessed by a questionnaire. RESULTS: The median duration of treatment was 87 weeks, with the longest follow-up duration being 120 weeks. Ovarian chocolate cysts were initially reduced; however, upon cessation of DNG treatment, an increase in size was observed. Adenomyosis lesions were reduced to some extent after 53 weeks of DNG treatment. In terms of adverse events, more than 60% (61.3%, 46/75) of patients experienced atypical genital bleeding. However, this did not prove to be a cause of discontinuation. We ceased DNG treatment in two cases because of lower abdominal pain and shoulder discomfort. CONCLUSIONS: Long term DNG treatment beyond one year for endometriosis proved to be effective and safe. Ovarian chocolate cysts were markedly reduced by short-term use of DNG, while a longer duration was required to reduce the size of adenomyosis. The decision regarding the choice of therapy lies with the individual clinician, considering a balance of efficacy with expense and adverse effects.

Gestrinone combined with ultrasound-guided aspiration and ethanol injection for treatment of chocolate cyst of ovary.

AIM: The aim of this study was to determine clinical performance of gestrinone combined with ultrasound-guided aspiration and ethanol injection in treating chocolate cyst of ovary. METHODS: Sixty-eight patients enrolled in this study were randomly divided into two groups: control group and combination treatment group. In the control group, 34 patients were treated with ultrasound-guided aspiration and ethanol injection. In the combination treatment group, 34 patients received gestrinone p.o. following ultrasound-guided aspiration and ethanol injection. RESULTS: The recurrence rate of chocolate cyst was 10-fold lower in the combination treatment group (2.94%, 1/34) than in the control group (29.4%, 10/34) at 12 months. The effective rate for reduction of chocolate cyst was significantly higher in the combination treatment group (94.12%, 32/34) than in the control group (64.71%, 22/34) (P = 0.009). CONCLUSION: Gestrinone combined with ultrasound-guided aspiration and ethanol injection therapy is an effective treatment for ovarian chocolate cyst with low recurrence rate.

Correlation between ovarian chocolate cyst and serum carbohydrate antigen 125 level and the effect of ultrasound-guided interventional sclerotherapy on serum carbohydrate antigen 125 level.

AIM: This study was to investigate the correlation between ovarian chocolate cysts and serum carbohydrate antigen (CA)-125 levels and to demonstrate the effect of ultrasound-guided interventional sclerotherapy (UGIS) on serum CA-125 levels. METHODS: Based on the serum CA-125 level, as determined by chemiluminescence detection prior to UGIS, 105 patients with ovarian chocolate cysts were divided into the normal group (CA-125 ≤ 35 U/mL, 45 patients) and the abnormal group (35 U/mL < CA-125 ≤ 200 U/mL, 60 patients). There were six clinical indicators including age, disease duration, dysmenorrhea history, child-bearing history, abortion history and surgical history. The ultrasonography characteristics were cyst diameter, cyst wall thickness and the side on which the cyst occurred. The correlations between serum CA-125 levels pretreatment and the clinical indicators and ultrasonography characteristics was analyzed. The serum CA-125 levels pretreatment, 3 months post-treatment and 6 months post-treatment were compared. RESULTS: The pretreatment serum CA-125 levels of the 105 patients positively correlated with disease duration (r = 0.3932, P = 0.0040), dysmenorrhea history (r = 0.2351, P = 0.0111), cyst diameter (r = 0.3415, P < 0.0001) and cyst wall thickness (r = 0.4263, P < 0.0001). Compared with the pretreatment level, the mean serum CA-125 level in the abnormal group at 3 months post-treatment was significantly lower (P < 0.01), and at 6 months post-treatment, the mean serum CA-125 level had decreased to a normal level (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: UGIS significantly decreased abnormal serum CA-125 levels in patients with ovarian chocolate cysts.

Rupture Endometriomas Presenting as Acute Abdomen Infection in Hasty and Limited Resources Setting: A Pitfall Not to Miss - A Case Report.

Introduction: Abdominal pain is a diagnostic problem that requires immediate care and treatment for surgeons and gynecologists. The causes of abdominal pain in women of childbearing age range from benign and temporary to potentially life threatening. Rare etiologies such as spontaneous ruptured endometrioma are often not included in the radar of diagnosis due to their rarity and non-specific signs and symptoms in the patient. This case report aimed to show a resemblance between the clinical symptoms of acute abdomen in diffuse peritonitis due to hollow viscus perforation and spontaneous ruptured endometrioma. Case Description: A 42-year-old woman presented to our hospital with abdominal pain. She had a history of fever for two weeks. She came from a tropical rural area where typhoid fever is common. She was advised to undergo emergency laparotomy because of the suspicion of diffuse peritonitis due to a hollow viscus perforation due to typhoid infection. Because of acute abdominal pain, a vertical incision was made to explore her abdominal cavity, and chocolate-like fluid and ovarian cysts were found during surgery. The diagnosis was changed to diffuse peritonitis due to spontaneous rupture of the endometrioma bilaterally. Conclusion: This case suggests that the exact diagnosis and cause of abdominal pain varies. As the current gold standard for endometrioma is laparoscopy, surgeons must prepare a collaborative approach to the cause of the disease.

Abdominal pain is common and often requires prompt medical care. In women, it can have various causes, including rare ones, such as spontaneous ruptured endometrioma, which can be difficult to diagnose owing to its rarity and vague symptoms. We describe the case of a 42-year-old woman with abdominal pain and fever, initially suspected to have diffuse peritonitis due to typhoid infection. However, surgery revealed a ruptured endometrioma, highlighting the challenge of accurately diagnosing such conditions. This case emphasizes the need to consider the diverse diagnoses of abdominal pain and the importance of collaborative approaches among medical professionals to ensure accurate diagnosis and treatment.

Mesonephric Cyst Endometrioma: Surgical Management of an Atypical Site Endometriosis.

Objectives: Endometriosis originating in mesonephric cyst is unusual and with unknown prevalence. Endometriotic lesion in vestigial remnant of wolffian duct (mesonephric cyst) is exceptional. In the extended literature review only three cases have been reported in animal studies, and our case reported here is the first in human beings. We present a case of mesonephric cyst endometrioma in a 37-year-old patient who was referred for severe dysmenorrhea, long duration pelvic and back pain, subfertility, severe dyspareunia, and groin discomfort. The patient underwent laparoscopic removal and we performed a literature review to gain insight about the origin and surgical management of an atypical site endometriosis. Methods and Procedures: Case report presentation rests on information obtained from the patient database. We performed the literature review using a Medline search with the keywords: mesonephric cyst endometriosis, atypical location of endometriosis in vestigial remnant in wolffian duct, and Gartner duct cyst endometrioma. Results: On physical examination, fullness and tenderness in left adnexa and lateral vaginal wall fullness on left side with restricted mobility of uterus was noted. Based on the examination and imaging the left ovarian cyst and mesonephric cyst were suspected. Surgical exploration revealed the left hemorrhagic cyst with deep infiltrating endometriosis involving left ureter and left uterosacral ligament with mesonephric cyst endometriosis. The review of literature revealed three cases where ectopic endometrial tissue in mesonephric cyst remnant was found in female dogs. Conclusion: Mesonephric cyst endometrioma, although rare, can be a representative of extensive endometriosis. This case highlights an importance of careful clinical examination, correlation of patient symptoms with examination and imaging, and successful laparoscopic management of an atypical location endometriotic lesions. We completed the literature review on successful surgical management of such cases.

Endometriotic Intramyometrial Cyst -A Diagnostic Dilemma.

BACKGROUND: Endometriosis is a pathological state in which the endometrial glands and stroma are originated at sites other than the uterine cavity. Endometriotic cystic lesions are principally positioned in ovaries but, infrequently, can also be encountered in the myometrium. It is a rare manifestation which poses a multitude of differential diagnoses and therapeutic options. CASE STUDY: A 27-year-old female patient walked into hospital complaining of severe abdominal pain since 2 days with a medical history of dysmenorrhoea since one and a half years. On examination, the abdomen was found to be soft with the existence of lower abdominal tenderness. An Ultrasonography revealed a myometrial posterior wall cyst of size 4 x 4 cm with thick wall and spotted internal echoes favoring a differential diagnosis of either an endometriotic cyst or rudimentary horn. Both ovaries were found normal. The patient was taken for laparoscopy in which a bulge was seen on the posterior uterine wall. It was punctured to expose a myometrial cyst with dark chocolate colored fluid collection. The intact cyst was enucleated and sent for histopathology, which confirmed the diagnosis of the endometriotic cyst. Upon the literature survey, it was found that only two such cases were available in the literature on internet which described a similar pathology. CONCLUSION: Endometrioma should be considered as a probable pathology whenever myometrial cysts are encountered. A focused transvaginal examination can be very accommodating as a diagnostic modality to set up proper management. This case should not only make the health careproviders rethink the etiopathogenesis of endometriosis and debate the credibility of the retrograde menstruation hypothesis but also encourage to accurately investigate any lesion anywhere in the body, which looks like an endometriotic chocolate cyst. In this case, it is evident that a myometrial spot is rare but not impossible. These rare occurrences shall direct to diversify the perception of this pathology.

[Thunder-fire moxibustion combined with mifepristone for ovarian chocolate cyst dysmenorrhea with kidney deficiency and blood stasis: a randomized controlled trial].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical efficacy of thunder-fire moxibustion combined with mifepristone for ovarian chocolate cyst dysmenorrhea with kidney deficiency and blood stasis. METHODS: Seventy patients were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, 35 cases in each group. The patients in the the control group were treated with oral administration of mifepristone, 10 mg each time, once a day; based on the treatment of the control group, the patients in the observation group were treated with thunder-fire moxibustion at Guanyuan (CV 4), Zigong (EX-CA 1), Xuehai (SP 10), once every other day. Both the groups were treated for 3 months. The Cox menstrual symptom scale (CMSS) score, the maximum cross-sectional area of ectopic cyst, and the serum levels of transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1) and interleukin-17 (IL-17) were observed before and after treatment in the two groups. The clinical efficacy was evaluated. RESULTS: Compared before treatment, the severity scores and duration scores of CMSS as well as the serum levels of TGF-ß1 were reduced after treatment in the two groups (P<0.05), and the serum level of IL-17 in the observation group was reduced (P<0.05); the reducing of the severity score and duration score of CMSS as well as the serum levels of TGF-ß1 and IL-17 in the observation group were more significant than those in the control group (P<0.05). After treatment, the maximum cross-sectional area of ectopic cyst in the two groups was decreased (P<0.05), and the reducing in the observation group was more significant than that in the control group (P<0.05). The total effective rate was 94.3% (33/35) in the observation group, which was higher than 71.4% (25/35) in the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Thunder-fire moxibustion combined with mifepristone could significantly improve dysmenorrhea symptoms, shorten dysmenorrhea time and promote atrophy of ovarian heterotopic cyst in patients with ovarian chocolate cyst dysmenorrhea of kidney deficiency and blood stasis, and the mechanism may be related to the reduction of serum levels of TGF-ß1 and IL-17.

Endometriosis-Associated Ovarian Cancer: The Origin and Targeted Therapy.

Endometrial cysts (ECs) are thought to be the origin of endometriosis-associated ovarian cancer (EAOC). A hypothesis that the oxidative stress of iron in cysts causes "malignant transformation of ECs" has been proposed, but this has not been verified. Several population-based studies showed that endometriosis was a risk factor but did not reflect the "malignant transformation of ECs". A review showed that most patients were diagnosed with EAOC early in monitoring following detection of ECs, and that these cases might have been cancer from the start. Epidemiologically, EAOC was reduced by hysterectomy rather than by cystectomy of ECs. Gene mutation analyses identified oncogenic mutations in endometriosis and normal endometrium and revealed that the same mutations were present at different endometriotic lesions. It was also shown that most of the gene mutations found in endometriosis occurred in normal endometrium. Taking together, EAOC might be caused by eutopic endometrial glandular epithelial cells with oncogenic mutations that have undergone menstrual blood reflux and engrafted in the ovary, rather than by low-risk ECs acquiring oncogenic mutations and becoming malignant. This review discusses the mechanisms of EAOC development and targeted therapy based on genetic variation in EAOC with a focus on eutopic endometrium.

Manejo del endometrioma ovárico

Ovarian endometrioma is the most frequent endometriotic lesion, affecting about 55% of patients suffering of endometriosis. It is a marker of severity of the disease, associated with deep endometriotic lesions independently of its size. Its compromise is usually multifocal. Though commonly diagnosed in women of reproductive age, it can develop in adolescent girls and even before menarche. Treatment of the ovarian endometrioma is either medical or surgical. Medical treatment, which aims to relieve pain, is mostly used as an adjuvant following surgery in order to decrease recurrence. Surgical treatment plays a major role, despite its effects on the ovarian reserve; rates of pain relief and spontaneous pregnancy favor this approach. Four conservative surgical techniques can be used, all of them feasible by laparoscopy: pseudo capsule excision (cystectomy), ablation, the two-stage technique and the combined technique. Besides chosen technique, surgery quality and the sensible use of energy during the procedure affect the outcome. In cases of ovarian endometrioma, the best approach is individualized treatment considering the patient's needs and associated factors.

El endometrioma ovárico es la forma más frecuente de lesión endometriósica, que afecta aproximadamente a 55% de las pacientes con endometriosis. Es el marcador de severidad de la enfermedad e, independiente de su tamaño, está asociado con lesiones profundas, siendo habitualmente el compromiso multifocal. Comúnmente diagnosticado en mujeres en edad reproductiva, también puede desarrollarse en niñas adolescentes y aún antes de la menarquia. El tratamiento del endometrioma ovárico puede ser médico o quirúrgico. El tratamiento médico está orientado básicamente a aliviar el dolor, pero sobre todo al tratamiento coadyuvante posquirúrgico, con la finalidad de disminuir la recurrencia. El tratamiento quirúrgico tiene rol fundamental, a pesar de sus efectos sobre la reserva ovárica; los beneficios en términos de alivio del dolor y tasas de embarazo espontáneo favorecen este enfoque. Cuatro técnicas quirúrgicas conservadoras son utilizadas en la actualidad, con sus ventajas y desventajas y todas perfectamente realizables por vía laparoscópica: escisión de la pseudocápsula (quistectomía), ablación, la técnica en dos etapas y la técnica combinada. Más importante que la cirugía en sí misma, es la calidad de la cirugía y el uso juicioso de la energía con la que se trabaja. La mejor visión del manejo es la individualización de cada caso, teniendo en consideración las necesidades de la paciente y los factores asociados.