Quality of Life After Video Laparoscopic Segmentary Colectomy for Intestinal Endometriosis

Abstract

Background: Intestinal endometriosis (IE) is a chronic estrogen-dependent disease characterized by endometrial stroma outside the uterine cavity. It affects 10 to 15% of women and may present with pelvic pain and worsening quality of life. Treatment can be surgical, such as video laparoscopic segmental colectomy (VSC). Objective: To evaluate the quality of life of patients after VSC for treatment of intestinal endometriosis. Method: This is an observational, longitudinal, and retrospective study carried out through a review of medical records and a telephone interview with patients who underwent laparoscopic segmental colectomy in a private hospital between 2016 and 2020. Results: 43 patients were studied, of whom 30 (70%) complained of having impaired daily activities. Before surgery, dysmenorrhea intensity was classified as mild, moderate, severe, and very severe pain, with one patient (2.33%) classified as mild, three patients (6.98%) as moderate, 16 patients (37.2%) as severe, and 23 (53.49%) as very severe. As for pain during sexual intercourse, 13 patients (30%) reported dyspareunia. After surgery, 100% of the patients reported improvement in the complaint, referring to maintaining a normal routine after the VSC; of the 13 patients who did not feel that they had any impairment in their daily activities before the surgery, 2 still reported feeling more lively in their routine after having undergone surgery (P<.05). As for the intensity of dysmenorrhea after surgery, one (2.33%) patient classified it as moderate and 42 (97.67%) as mild (P<.05), indicating that there is a difference in pain intensity before and after surgery. Of the patients who previously reported dyspareunia, it was observed that 100% of them reported improvement after VSC with P=.0002. Conclusion: CSV can improve the quality of life of patients with intestinal endometriosis.