Endometriosis in an adolescent population: the Emory experience

Abstract

Objective: To determine the incidence, clinical stage, and lesion type of endometriosis in adolescent girls.

Design: Retrospective review of patient records of adolescent girls (11-19) admitted to Emory University Affiliated Hospitals.

Setting: Patients from a private practice institutional setting.

Patients: 67 adolescent girls who had not responded to analgesia or oral contraceptives for pelvic pain.

Information: Laparoscopy or exploratory laparotomy to determine the etiology of pelvic pain.

Main outcome measure: Stage of endometriosis by the American Fertility Society classification system and description of lesion type.

Results: Endometriosis was diagnosed in 49 (73%) patients. The majority of patients had stage I disease. Superficial red lesions were most commonly observed.

Conclusions: Adolescent girls with pelvic pain have a high incidence of endometriosis. Minimal disease is most often encountered. Meticulous inspection of the pelvic peritoneal surfaces will often reveal superficial or atypical lesions.