Patient's question:
Patient Age: 47 Endometriosis TreatmentDoctor's answer:
Diagnosis and Treatment of Endometriosis of the UterusEndometriosis of the uterus, or adenomyoma, is actually a special form of endometriosis, representing a condition where endometrial tissue (including glandular and stromal tissue) invades the muscular layer of the uterus. The definitive diagnosis of endometriosis of the uterus must be confirmed by pathological tissue sections. Some patients may show no symptoms of endometriosis before surgery but are found to have the condition upon pathological examination of the uterus after undergoing a total hysterectomy for other indications.
Endometriosis of the uterus most commonly occurs in parous women of childbearing age, though it occasionally affects nulliparous women who have never undergone any uterine surgery. This may be related to the specialized metaplasia process of the uterine muscular layer cells. A significant proportion of patients with endometriosis of the uterus experience symptoms such as dysmenorrhea and menorrhagia. Pelvic examination (internal examination) may reveal a slightly enlarged, symmetrical uterus with tenderness. Generally, ultrasound cannot differentiate between localized endometriomas and uterine (smooth muscle) leiomyomas. However, color Doppler ultrasound can detect the distribution of blood flow, enhancing the ability to distinguish between endometriomas and uterine leiomyomas.
For patients with endometriosis of the uterus who also experience dysmenorrhea, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can be used for symptomatic treatment. Since endometriosis of the uterus is a special form of endometriosis, theoretically, drugs used to treat endometriosis can be applied to it to improve symptoms such as dysmenorrhea and menorrhagia, though the effectiveness still needs further evaluation. Total hysterectomy seems to be an option for managing difficult-to-treat symptoms of