Impact of Surgeon Characteristics on Endometriosis Surgery Outcomes

Study Objective

This study aimed to evaluate the association between surgeon characteristics and postoperative surgical outcomes, including rates of complications, recurrence of symptoms, fertility outcomes, and need for reoperation for individuals undergoing surgical management of endometriosis.

Design

Population cohort study.

Setting

Ontario, Canada.

Patients

83787 Ontario patients, who are biologically identified as women, aged 18 to 50 who had an initial diagnosis of endometriosis (ICD-9-617 or ICD-10-N80) between April 1, 2002 and March 31, 2018.

Interventions

Surgeon volume of endometriosis cases, grouped into 4 categories: 6 or fewer in the prior year (low volume), 7 to 11 (moderate volume), 12 to 23 (high volume), and 24 or more (highest volume). A modified exposure variable defined by surgeon’s volume of complex endometriosis surgery (based on Ontario Health Insurance Plan billing code) in the year before the index surgery was also used.

Measurements and Main Results

The primary outcome was the rate of reoperation within 30 days of index surgery and over the duration of follow-up in the study. Secondary outcomes were postoperative complications, the rate of infertility consults, and the live birth rate following endometriosis surgery. The majority of patients (80.3%) underwent surgery with a low-volume surgeon. In the 30-day postoperative period, the lowest rate of postoperative complication was noted among the highest-volume surgeons (5.5%). There was a significantly reduced risk of complications among high-volume surgeons compared to low-volume surgeons (aHR 0.84, 95% CI 0.74–0.96). Higher-volume surgeons tended to refer patients for fertility assessment and these patients also had a higher chance of achieving a live birth postoperatively. Patients who underwent surgery with a high volume of complex endometriosis surgeon, were less likely to undergo repeat surgery (17.8% vs 32.9%, aHR 0.80 [0.72–0.88]), including all the surgery types examined.

Conclusion

Our study suggests the majority of patients undergoing surgery for endometriosis have surgery with a low-volume surgeon. Postoperative outcomes were impacted by surgeon volume, suggesting that there is a need to define criteria for surgical competency. Ongoing work to define surgeon characteristics and skills required to perform different types of endometriosis surgery is encouraged.