A narrative review of functional outcomes following nerve-sparing surgery for deeply infiltrating endometriosis.
Beth LeopoldJordan S KlebanoffSofiane BendifallahJean Marc AyoubiThiers Soares RaymundoSara RahmanGaby N MoawadPublished in: Hormone molecular biology and clinical investigation (2021)
Endometriosis negatively impacts the lives of countless women around the world. When medical management fails to improve the quality of life for women with either previously confirmed or suspected endometriosis often a decision must be made whether or not to proceed with surgery. When deeply infiltrating disease is diagnosed either clinically or by imaging studies often medical management alone will not suffice without excisional surgery. Surgery for endometriosis, especially deeply infiltrating disease, is not without risks. Aside from common risks of surgery endometriosis may also involve pelvic nerves, which can be hard to recognize to the untrained eye. Identification of pelvic nerves commonly encountered during endometriosis surgery is paramount to avoid inadvertent injury to optimize function outcomes. Injury to pelvic nerves can lead to urinary retention, constipation, sexual dysfunction, and refractory pain. However, nerve-sparing surgery for endometriosis has been proven to mitigate these complications and enhance recovery following surgery. Here we review the benefits of nerve-sparing surgery for deeply infiltrating disease.
Keyphrases
- minimally invasive
- coronary artery bypass
- surgical site infection
- healthcare
- type diabetes
- chronic pain
- acute coronary syndrome
- mass spectrometry
- skeletal muscle
- insulin resistance
- spinal cord
- photodynamic therapy
- pulmonary embolism
- high intensity
- weight loss
- peripheral nerve
- fluorescence imaging
- decision making
- glycemic control