Urinary Tract Endometriosis: How to Predict and Prevent Recurrence after Primary Surgical Excision

Abstract

Study objective: To investigate the clinical and surgical predictors of urinary tract endometriosis (UTE) relapse.

Design: Retrospective single institutional study.

Setting: Italian multidisciplinary referral center for endometriosis.

Patients: Consecutive patients affected by UTE and surgically treated between January 2016 and March 2020.

Intervention: Surgical excision for UTE. Uni- and multivariate logistic regression analyses were fitted to evaluate clinical and surgical predictors of recurrence.

Measurements and main results: A total of 105 female age-reproductive patients were enrolled. Median age was 32 years (interquartile range, 24-37). Ureteral involvement was recorded in 53 patients (50.5%), being unilateral and bilateral in 46 patients (43.8%) and 7 patients (6.7%), respectively. Bladder involvement occurred in 52 patients (49.5%). Open surgical approach was performed in 24 cases (22.9%), whereas 30 patients (28.5%) and 51 patients (48.6%) were treated with laparoscopic and robot-assisted approach, respectively. Overall, 53 patients (50.5%) received adjuvant hormonal therapy. At a median follow-up of 39 months (interquartile range, 22-51), 30 patients (28.6%) experienced disease relapse, with 14 recurrences (13.3%) recorded at the level of the urinary tract. At multivariable analysis, age at first surgery <25 years (odds ratio [OR], 1.23; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.10-1.84; p = .02) and the presence of a concomitant autoimmune disease (OR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.24-2.17; p = .02) were found as predictors of deep infiltrating endometriosis recurrence, whereas adjuvant postsurgical therapy showed a protective role (OR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.53-0.98; p = .01).

Conclusions: Young age (<25 years) and the presence of autoimmune diseases were significant predictors for the development of disease recurrence, whereas adjuvant hormonal therapy showed a protective role.

Keywords: Deep infiltrating endometriosis; Hormonal therapy; Predictors; Recurrence; Urinary endometriosis.