ABSTRACT

Surgery for endometriosis is technically demanding. Minor degrees of endometriosis are best treated by laparoscopic surgery, but advanced disease is also suitable for treatment by minimal access surgery. In deep infiltrative disease the surgeon must eradicate all endometriotic deposits to prevent recurrence of the disease, but laparoscopic surgery for advanced disease should only be carried out by experienced surgeons who operate on a regular basis. However, even if laparotomy is the preferred surgical technique, the technical demands of advanced infiltrative disease still present the surgeon with potentially formidable problems.