Thoracic endometriosis surgery

Objective: To report our experience of the surgical management of thoracic endometriosis. Materials and methods This was a retrospective and prospective study which lasted 18 years (January 1994-December 2012) and included 19 patients with an average age of 32 years (19 to 49 years) operated on for thoracic endometriosis. There were 12 cases of catamenial pneumothorax, 6 cases of catamenial haemothorax and 1 case of pulmonary nodule. The patients were all nulliparous with a history of dysmenorrhoea except the one with the pulmonary nodule, 2 patients had confirmed pelvic endometriosis. Standard chest X-rays were performed systematically, bronchial fibroscopy 2 times, thoracic CT scans 6 times, and thoracoabdominal ultrasound 1 time. The lesions were located on the right in 17 cases, on the left in 1 case and bilaterally in 1 case. Results. The patients were operated on during (7 cases) or just after (11 cases) menstruation by posterolateral thoracotomy. 4 patients underwent preoperative pleural drainage for massive effusions. Plaques of diaphragmatic endometriosis were observed in 16 cases.