Abstract:

Abdominal wall endometriosis (AWE) is a rare form of extra-pelvic endometriosis usually associated with a history of previous abdominal surgery, especially cesarean section. Its main symptoms are periodic abdominal pain and an abdominal wall mass. The diagnosis of AWE relies mainly on ultrasonography, but final confirmation of the diagnosis is by biopsy. There are various treatment options for AWE. Medication, such as oral contraceptives, progesterone and gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists, can provide temporary relief of the symptoms but are prone to recurrence after discontinuation of the medication. Surgical excision of the lesions is the main treatment at present, but there are risks of postoperative abdominal wall defects, incision infection and delayed healing. In recent years, minimally invasive techniques such as microwave ablation, high-intensity focused ultrasound, radiofrequency ablation, and percutaneous cryoablation have been applied in AWE treatment, which have the advantages of less trauma and faster recovery. In addition, traditional Chinese medical treatments such as acupuncture have also been shown to alleviate the associated symptoms to a certain extent. For complex AWE, multidisciplinary teamwork plays an important role in treatment, and individualized and precise treatment is achieved by combining multiple disciplines such as general surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, and plastic surgery. In the future, with more clinical studies, it is anticipated to further optimize the treatment strategy of AWE, reduce the recurrence rate and improve the quality of life of patients.

Key words: Endometriosis, Abdominal wall, Therapy, Gynecologic surgical procedures, Minimally invasive, Multidisciplinary team collaboration