Clinical study on 7 cases of polypoid endometriosis. PEM: a mimic of malignancy, the symptoms of adenomyosis, endometrial polyps and infertility can assist in diagnosis

Abstract

Objective: polypoid endometriosis (PEM) is a rare type of endometriosis (EMs), which is easy to be misdiagnosed. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the clinical features and diagnostic methods of PEM. Methods:The clinical data of 7 patients with PEM who were treated at Fujian Provincial Maternity and Children’s Hospital in China within July 2017 to December 2020 period were retrospectively analyzed, and their clinical characteristics, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis were summarized. Results: The age of onset was 31-41 (38.00 ± 1.72) years. There were 5 cases with adenomyosis, 4 cases with endometrial polyps and infertility. The clinical manifestations were diverse. Most of them were pelvic mass, compression symptoms and signs, dysmenorrhea and abnormal uterine bleeding, and three of them were similar to malignant tumors. The gross pathological features were cysts, endogenous or exogenous polypoid masses, which were all composed of endometrioid glands and stromal components, but more diverse than ordinary em. All the 7 patients were confirmed by operation and pathology. Conclusion: PEM is often complicated with adenomyosis, endometrial polyps and infertility. Pathological examination is the gold standard for diagnosis. Imaging examination is easy to be misdiagnosed. Abnormal increase of CA125 can assist in diagnosis.