Diagnosis of endometriosis

Abstract

There are no sufficiently sensitive and specific signs and symptoms or diagnostic tests for the clinical diagnosis of endometriosis, and no diagnostic strategy is supported by evidence of effectiveness. Pelvic and rectal examinations should be performed, although the yield of the physical examination is low. Laboratory tests and radiological examinations are usually not warranted. Measurement of CA 125 levels may be useful for monitoring disease progress, and MRI has a high sensitivity in detecting endometrial cysts but poor diagnostic accuracy for endometriosis in general. Patients with persistent symptoms after empirical treatment should be referred for laparoscopy, the preferred method for diagnosis of endometriosis.