Ovarian endometrioma in the adolescent: a plea for early-stage diagnosis and full surgical treatment

The incidence and severity of endometriosis in adolescent are comparable with the incidence in adult women. The mean delay between the onset of symptoms and the final diagnosis varies between 6.4 and 11.7 years. The longer the diagnosis is delayed, the more the endometriosis can progress to a more severe stage certainly in the group of patients with pelvic pain. The evolution of endometriosis and its progressivity are not predictable, and the severity of the disease is not directly related to the degree of pain. Endometriotic cysts have a detrimental effect on the ovarian reserve by the evolution in time and the surgical excision technique. Already, in small endometriotic cysts (<4 cm), loss of follicular reserve is present together with the formation of fibrosis in the cortex of the ovary. Early diagnosis of endometriosis in the adolescent deserves our full attention. Non-invasive imaging techniques like 2-D and 3-D ultrasound are helpful in the early diagnosis. Early ablative surgery is recommendable. Although laparoscopy is traditionally recommended, transvaginal laparoscopy has been shown to be most effective in ablating endometriomas with a maximum diameter of 3 cm. Early detection and intervention will contribute to a better quality of life in these adolescents and also to a lower damage of the ovarian tissue by a less invasive ablative surgery.