Diagnosis and surgical treatment of acute intestinal obstruction caused by extragenital form of endometriosis

Damage to the gastrointestinal tract with extragenital endometriosis is a very rare pathology. According to the literature, the frequency of damage to the gastrointestinal tract in endometriosis, after previously performed gynecological operations, is less than 1%. At the same time, involvement in the pathological process of the intestine is noted in 3–37% of women of childbearing age with diagnosed genital endometriosis. In most clinical cases extragenital endometriosis occurs intraoperatively due to the complexity of early diagnosis.

This article presents a clinical case of successful surgical treatment of a 43-year-old patient admitted to a surgical department with signs of intestinal obstruction. According to the anamnesis the patient had been suffering from recurrent pains in the lower abdomen in the right mesogastrium and constipation. The day before hospitalization, the above mentioned symptoms become worse with additional nausea, vomiting, lack of gases and feces. Based on the clinical laboratory and instrumental data the diagnosis of acute intestinal obstruction was established; and the urgent surgical treatment was carried out. Two formations were revealed intraoperatively (in the terminal ileum and in the elongated loop of the sigmoid colon). Both formations circularly narrowed the intestinal lumen, however the ileum was the cause of obstruction. Due to the lack of histological verification and the inability to exclude the malignant nature of the formation, the surgical treatment was carried out taking into account oncological standard in the amount of ileum resection and obstructive resection of the sigmoid colon with lymphadenectomy and small intestine intubation. Pathohistological examination confirmed intestinal endometriosis. The course of the postoperative period revealed no complications. The patient was discharged on the 12^th day for outpatient treatment under the supervision of a surgeon and a gynecologist at the place of residence with recommendations and subsequent planned hospitalization in order to conduct reconstructive surgery to restore intestinal patency.