Intraoperative Appearance of Endosalpingiosis: A Single-Center Experience of Laparoscopic Findings and Systematic Review of Literature

Abstract

Background: Endosalpingiosis is assumed to be the second most common benign peritoneal pathology after endometriosis in women. Although recent studies indicate a significant association with gynecologic malignancies, many underlying principles remain unclear. This work aimed to systematically describe the intraoperative appearance of endosalpingiosis.

Methods: Data and intraoperative videos of patients with histologically verified endosalpingiosis were retrospectively reviewed. The main outcome measures were macroscopic phenotype and anatomical distribution. Additionally, a systematic review searching PubMed (Medline) and Embase was conducted.

Results: In the study population (n = 77, mean age 40.2 years (SD 16.4)), the mean size of lesions was 3.6 mm and the main visual pattern was vesicular (62%). The most frequent localization was the sacrouterine ligaments (24.7%). In the systematic review population (n = 1174 (210 included studies overall), mean age 45.7 years (SD 14.4)), there were 99 patients in 90 different studies with adequate data to assess the appearance of the lesions. The mean size of the lesions was 48.5 mm, mainly with a cystic visual pattern (49.5%). The majority of the lesions affected the ovaries (23.2%), fallopian tubes (20.4%), or lymph nodes (18.5%). Comparing this study to the literature population, the main differences concerned the size (p < 0.001) and main visual patterns (p < 0.001) of lesions.

Conclusions: The usual intraoperative findings of endosalpingiosis appeared less impressive than described in the literature. In our study population, lesions of a few millimeters in size with a vesicular appearance were mostly seen, most frequently in the sacrouterine ligament area. Intraoperative recognition by the gynecologic surgeon and histologic diagnosis should play an important role in further understanding this entity, scientifically and clinically.

Keywords: endosalpingiosis; endosalpingiosis distribution; endosalpingiosis morphology; laparoscopy; minimal-access surgery; mullerianosis.