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Endometriosis is a leading cause of pelvic pain and infertility in women. Laparoscopy can both diagnose and treat this disease. The aim of this review was to examine current literature on treatments for endometriosis for both pain and infertility. Evidence supports removal of severe disease, including ovarian endometriomas, for improved pregnancy outcomes. However, for patients that fail initial surgery, in vitro fertilization may yield superior outcomes over repeat surgery. For pelvic pain, surgery has been shown to improve symptoms although there is a significant placebo effect with surgery. Finally, hysterectomy can be offered to women who fail initial conservative surgery.

Transvaginal hydrolaparoscopy (THL) is a modification of culdoscopy that can be used to evaluate the posterior uterus, pelvic sidewalls, and adnexae. Diagnostic THL can be done in the office under local anesthesia. Combined with diagnostic hysteroscopy and chromotubation, it can replace hysterosalpingography (HSG) as the first-line diagnostic test for the infertile woman. Studies have shown high patient tolerability with less pain reported postprocedure than with HSG. THL has been shown to have a high concordance with HSG for tubal patency, but THL diagnosed more intrauterine abnormalities as well as finding adhesions and endometriosis not visible with HSG. In addition, salpingoscopy may be performed during THL to assess the tubal lumen. THL also has a high concordance rate with laparoscopy when a complete evaluation is accomplished during THL. Complications of THL are uncommon and minor. Finally, operative procedures such as ovarian drilling, coagulation of endometriosis, lysis of adhesions, treatment of ovarian cysts, and salpingostomy may be performed via THL.

Conclusion: Segmental bowel resection for DIE may be associated with a higher incidence of new bowel symptoms (possibly due to abdominal pain, incomplete bowel movements, and/or false alarms), but not with worse constipation or fecal incontinence, compared with surgery without bowel resection.

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