Endometriosis diagnosis consists of a mixture of methods: clinical diagnosis, imaging and laparoscopy with histopathology examination. However, the most important factor in endometriosis diagnosis is clinician experience.
Delay in endometriosis diagnosis
Based on both patients’ experience and statistics, endometriosis diagnosis might take years from the onset of the symptoms. Depending on the part of the world, it can take on average between 8-10 years until a diagnosis is made. In some cases it can take longer, especially in teengers. Factors that leads to delay in diagnosis are:
- Normalising menstrual pain;
- Lack of knowledge of the disease amongst doctors;
- Unable to recognize symptoms;
- Endometriosis being considered a menstrual disease;
Clinical diagnosis of endometriosis
Clinical diagnosis of endometriosis covers areas such as anamnesis and gynaecological examination. Anamnesis is a medical term used to describe taking a patient’s medical history. The specialist asks questions regarding their symptoms, impact on life, medication taken and so on.
Anamnesis in endometriosis is very important as it offers the treating clinician important information that will help establish a diagnostic.
Gynaecological examination is also an important part of the diagnosis. During the pelvic examination, the gynaecologist palpate areas that might be tender causing pain. They can also feel for any mass in the uterus.
Imaging diagnosis
Imagining diagnostic of endometriosis refers to abdominal and transvaginal scans and MRI. Although scans are cheaper, they also have limited utility in diagnosis of adhesions or superficial peritoneal implants.
Moreover, studies show that transvaginal scan offers a better reading of endometriosis lesions, such as endometriomas, bladder lesions, and deep nodules.
The MRI is superior to scans in diagnosing endometriosis including deep lesions.
However, it is important to note negative scans due to not rule out endometriosis.
Laparoscopic diagnosis
The most efficient and correct method of in diagnosing endometriosis is surgery, during which organs and pelvic are visually inspected and tissues removed are sent for histologic confirmation. However, endometriosis surgery requires an endometriosis specialist, given the varied appearance of lesions which can easily be overlooked or missed by an ordinary gynaecologist.
At Cope Clinic we have a team of specialists experienced in endometriosis excision surgery using laparoscopic or robotic surgery.
