Endometriosis is a
chronic disease affecting mainly women of the reproductive age. Its most common manifestations include impaired fecundity,
pelvic pain, and
dyschezia. Laparoscopic removal of endometriotic foci remains to be the gold standard for the treatment of
endometriosis. More effective techniques of endoscopic approach-among others,
laser application-are continually being developed. The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of laparoscopic treatment with the use of
CO2 laser ablation vs. electroablation with regard to
pain complaints in the affected patients. The study included 48 women (aged 22-42) with varying degrees of
endometriosis of the lesser pelvis. The Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) was used to evaluate
pain intensity before the surgery in all patients, followed by either
laser ablation or electroablation of the endometriotic foci. The results of the laparoscopic treatment were monitored after 3 and 6 months postoperatively. p value of 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Patients from both groups reported less intensive
pain before/during menstruation (
dysmenorrhea) 6 months postoperatively, with more distinct tendency in the electroablation group (p = 0.004) as compared to the
laser ablation group (p = 0.025). Despite the initial improvement reported at the 3-month checkup (p = 0.008), 6 months postoperatively, a statistically significant increase in
pain intensity was noted in both groups (p = 0.016 and p = 0.032 for
CO2 laser ablation and electroablation, respectively). Both surgical methods seem to be effective only in the treatment of
endometriosis-related
dysmenorrhea, whereas the intensity of other
pain complaints (
dyspareunia,
dysuria,
dyschezia,
pelvic pain syndrome (PPS)) has remained on the same level.