Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2022 Oct 7;9(10):e00872.
doi: 10.14309/crj.0000000000000872. eCollection 2022 Oct.

Intestinal Endometriosis Leading to Recurrent Hematochezia

Affiliations
Case Reports

Intestinal Endometriosis Leading to Recurrent Hematochezia

Marta Arjonilla et al. ACG Case Rep J. .

Abstract

Endometriosis occurs when endometrial tissue existing outside of the endometrial cavity has an inflammatory response, which can lead to swelling and scarring, generally in the abdominopelvic cavity. It commonly presents in reproductive-age women and very infrequently presents in postmenopausal women. We report a case of a 51-year-old woman who underwent a hysterectomy a decade before presentation with new-onset intermittent proctalgia and hematochezia. Her colonoscopy showed a sigmoid polyp, which was confirmed to be endometriosis on histopathology. This case highlights intestinal endometriosis as a rare differential to be considered in women, regardless of age, with abnormal rectal bleeding.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Colonoscopic view of a hypervascular lesion embedded at the sigmoid colon luminal wall.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Hematoxylin and eosin images showing well-circumscribed foci of small glands dispersed in a variably cellular stroma within benign colonic mucosa.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Immunohistochemical stain (brown chromogen) for CD10 expression highlights the cytoplasm of stromal cells as endometrial type stroma. The stain for CD10 delineates a clear demarcation between the endometriosis and the colonic lamina propria.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
By contrast, CDX2 stains benign colonic glands. Annotated, the negative endometrial gland (arrow).
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
Proposed algorithm for gastroenterologist when endometriosis is diagnosed through colonoscopy. FSH, follicle-stimulating hormone.

References

    1. Eisenberg VH, Weil C, Chodick G, Shale VV. Epidemiology of endometriosis: A large population-based database study from a healthcare provider with 2 million members. BJOG 2018;125:55–62. - PubMed
    1. Pereira RMA, Zanatta A, Preti CDL, de Paula FJF, da Motta ELA, Serafini PC. Should the gynecologist perform laparoscopic bowel resection to treat endometriosis? Results over 7 years. In 168 patients. J Minim Invasive Gynecol 2009;16:472–9. - PubMed
    1. Dyson MT, Bulun SE. Cutting SRC-1 down to size in endometriosis. Nat Med 2012;18(7):1016–8. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Wolthuis AM, Tomassetti C. Multidisciplinary laparoscopic treatment for bowel endometriosis. Best Pract Res Clin Gastroenterol 2014;28(1):53–67. - PubMed
    1. Kanthimathinathan V, Elakkary E, Bleibel W, Kuwajerwala N, Conjeevaram S, Tootla F. Endometrioma of the large bowel. Dig Dis Sci 2007;52(3):767–9. - PubMed

Publication types