Appendiceal endometriosis in a pregnant woman presenting with acute perforated appendicitis

Abstract

Endometriosis is a common disease in women of childbearing age and is defined as the presence of endometrial glands and stroma in organs outside of the uterine cavity. Appendiceal endometriosis is very uncommon and accounts for a small fraction of all cases of extrapelvic endometriosis. Cases of that which occur during pregnancy are extremely rare with an incidence that ranges between 3 and 8 deliveries per 10 000. This makes the diagnosis extremely difficult and represents a challenge in the management of the patient. In this report we describe the case of a pregnant woman who underwent ileocecectomy for perforated appendicitis stemming from endometriosis and subsequent pre-term delivery of a 31-week-old fetus.